Bride’s Sister Accuses Groom of Serious Wrongdoing at Lavish Wedding - Internewscast Journal
Bride’s Sister Accuses Groom of Serious Wrongdoing at Lavish Wedding

When she exchanged vows, she promised to remain at her husband’s side through good times and bad.

Now newlywed Rebekah Hanshaw appears to be keeping that promise, even after her husband was charged with allegedly raping one of her sisters just before their wedding day.

Zachary Prouty, 38, is accused of assaulting his wife’s sibling at an upscale Airbnb in Pennsylvania, where relatives and friends had arrived ahead of the couple’s October 18 wedding celebrations.

The alleged victim contacted police, prompting officers to descend on the rental property hours before the rehearsal dinner to question the groom-to-be and search for possible evidence.

Despite the shocking allegation, Hanshaw, 28, went ahead with the ceremony the next day, walking down the aisle at a lavish outdoor wedding in Gettysburg as family and friends looked on.

According to court records, Prouty was taken into custody nine months later, on July 16, after DNA testing allegedly connected him to Hanshaw’s sister.

When the Daily Mail visited the couple’s newly established marital home in Sanders, Kentucky, last week, Hanshaw and Prouty were reportedly still living under the same roof and both continued to wear their wedding bands.

“You’re not going to get me to say anything,” Hanshaw, a volleyball coach and sales associate, reportedly said sharply. “Please get off my property.”

Newlyweds Rebekah Hanshaw and Zachary Prouty were seen outside their Kentucky marital home despite the charges against him. Prouty denies the allegations

Newlyweds Rebekah Hanshaw and Zachary Prouty were seen outside their Kentucky marital home despite the charges against him. Prouty denies the allegations

Hanshaw, 28, went on to marry her husband at a lavish ceremony on October 18 and continues to stand by her man, months after his arrest

Hanshaw, 28, went on to marry her husband at a lavish ceremony on October 18 and continues to stand by her man, months after his arrest 

Prouty did not come to the door of their $435,000 home, although he was later seen walking their dog and mowing the lawn. His lawyer declined to comment.  

The Daily Mail has learned that the sister fled the Airbnb after the incident and didn’t attend the wedding, which was officiated by the groom’s father, minister Nathan Prouty.

The two women, half-siblings who share the same father, have not spoken since.

‘It will feel like a knife through her chest to learn that Rebekah and Zachary are still together,’ a family friend revealed.

‘She was simply trying to build a normal relationship with her future brother-in-law before events took a devastating turn.’

According to an arrest affidavit, the wedding party had been celebrating at a restaurant before returning to the Airbnb on the night of October 16.

After the other guests went to bed, the sister is said to have stayed downstairs drinking and talking with Prouty, a twice-married senior plant manager.

She told investigators he ‘moved closer to her while they were sitting on a couch, kissed her multiple times without her consent, inserted his tongue into her mouth, and bit her lower lip.’

Hanshaw is pictured with her sibling, whose identity is being concealed because she is an alleged victim of sexual assault in a selfie

Hanshaw is pictured with her sibling, whose identity is being concealed because she is an alleged victim of sexual assault, in an undated photo 

Prouty, pictured doing yard work outside him home last week, was arrested and charged with rape in July after DNA testing allegedly linked him to the sister, court documents show

Prouty, pictured doing yard work outside him home last week, was arrested and charged with rape in July after DNA testing allegedly linked him to the sister, court documents show

Hanshaw, pictured wearing her wedding ring last weekend, declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail

Hanshaw, pictured wearing her wedding ring last weekend, declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail

The sister asked Prouty to stop and he ‘briefly complied,’ according to the affidavit, before they moved to the kitchen where he tried again to bite and kiss her.

‘[Name redacted] reported that after this incident she lost consciousness and had no further memory of the events,’ the affidavit continues.

‘[Name redacted] advised that she awoke the following morning at approximately 7.30am hours in a bedroom she had not intended to sleep in.

‘She reported that she was completely unclothed, that her clothing had been removed and was lying on the floor soaked with urine, and that she had no recollection of how she arrived in the bedroom or any sexual activity.

‘Believing she had been sexually assaulted, [the alleged victim] sought immediate medical treatment at Gettysburg Hospital where a sexual assault forensic examination was performed.’

The affidavit says the sister consented to a police interview and officers were dispatched to the Airbnb that same afternoon to gather potential evidence and contact Prouty.

‘After being advised of his Miranda Rights, Prouty declined to provide a statement and advised that he had retained legal counsel,’ the filing reveals.

The ceremony is believed to have gone off without a hitch at the five-star Barn Resort, with an estimated 50 to 100 guests looking on.

Hanshaw works as a volleyball coach

Prouty was pictured at participating at a volleyball event in Pennsylvania in 2021

Hanshaw works as a volleyball coach. Her husband was pictured at participating at a volleyball event in Pennsylvania in 2021

The couple jointly bought a new build, three-bed, two-bath home in Sanders, Kentucky for $435,000 in April

The couple jointly bought a new build, three-bed, two-bath home in Sanders, Kentucky for $435,000 in April 

Photos posted to Hanshaw’s since-deleted social media pages showed the smiling bride walking down the aisle and sharing her first dance with a besuited Prouty.

One of Hanshaw’s relatives even posted a glowing online review of their nearby Airbnb and its host, Tammy.

‘She was very communicative and so accommodating,’ the relative gushed. ‘The house was a great space and Tammy did all that she could to add a personal touch to our stay.’

Investigators subsequently obtained a search warrant authorizing the collection of a DNA sample from Prouty, which was executed on October 19 – the day after the wedding.

Testing by the Pennsylvania State Police Forensic DNA Laboratory compared it to samples taken from the alleged victim.

According to the affidavit, the male DNA profile was approximately 95 billion times more likely to have originated from Prouty than from an unknown unrelated individual.

The findings led prosecutors to charge Prouty on July 16 with forcible rape and rape of an unconscious victim, both first-degree felonies, sexual assault, a second-degree felony and two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault.

By then he and Hanshaw had jointly bought a new-build three-bed, two-bath marital residence in Sanders, 45 miles south of Cincinnati.

The half-sisters - who share a father - have not spoken since the wedding, a family friend told the Daily Mail. The alleged victim reported the incident at the hospital the following day and did not attend the wedding

The half-sisters – who share a father – have not spoken since the wedding, a family friend told the Daily Mail. The alleged victim reported the incident at the hospital the following day and did not attend the wedding

The Barn Resort in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where the couple exchanged vows on October 18, 2025 - one day after Hanshaw's sister reported the alleged sexual assault to police

The Barn Resort in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where the couple exchanged vows on October 18, 2025 – one day after Hanshaw’s sister reported the alleged sexual assault to police 

An April 24 deed lists the pair as husband and wife.

‘The two sisters have not spoken since the day before the wedding and the chances of that happening are virtually zero while Rebekah continues to support Zachary,’ added the family friend.

‘It’s a terrible shame to see their relationship ripped apart. They were close before.’

Court records show Prouty has no previous criminal convictions, with only a handful of traffic violations on his record.

He was released on $50,000 unsecured bail and is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on September 9, having not yet entered a plea.

His attorney Stephanie L Cesare said: ‘At this time we would offer no comment on the matter.’

The Daily Mail is not naming the sister because she is allegedly a sexual assault victim.

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