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WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley woman has received a lifetime protective order against her husband who is accused of raping and sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions, sometimes at knifepoint.
The assaults on the woman came to an end when she shot him while being raped in the couple's apartment, according to court documents.
The 23-year-old West Valley man was charged last week in 3rd District Court with 13 felonies, including three counts of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of rape, three counts of forcible sodomy, and three counts of object rape, all first-degree felonies; and two counts of aggravated assault, a second-degree felony.
KSL has opted not to identify the man to protect the woman.
On Thursday, the 22-year-old woman was granted a lifetime protective order against him, according to charging documents.
The ongoing abuse was discovered Dec. 2 when West Valley police were called to the couple's apartment on a report of a shooting, according to a search warrant filed in 3rd District Court and unsealed Friday.
The husband was found sitting on a stairwell in only his underwear with a gunshot wound to his abdomen, the warrant states. The gun allegedly used in the shooting was found on a nearby carport roof.
Investigators learned that the man allegedly raped his wife Nov. 18, 24 and 29, according to charging documents.
"During both the Nov. 24 and 29 incidents, (the husband) held an open knife against (the wife's body) and threatened to harm her with the knife if she did not submit to the sexual acts," charges state.
On Nov. 21, the man made two cuts on the woman's arm, according to the charges.
On Dec. 1, the couple was "driving back to their residence from the store, and … while on the way home, (the husband) told her that he was going to take her to the forest so that nobody could hear her scream," the search warrant states.
Detectives determined the "forest" was a campsite in Big Cottonwood Canyon, according to charging documents. Once there, the woman was physically and sexually assaulted in a restroom and then again when they got back into the car, charges state.
The next morning, as the woman was trying to go to work, the husband told her he wanted sex again, according to the warrant.
"He then began to physically assault (the woman) by climbing on top of her and began choking her with his hands. (She) said that she was able to push (him) off of her and access the gun which she knew was located between the mattress and the wall. She grabbed the gun and pointed it at him, and shot him at a close range," the warrant states.
As of Friday, no charges had been filed against the woman.
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting the YWCA's Women in Jeopardy program at 801-537-8600, or the confidential statewide Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online at udvc.org.
