A Euclid, Ohio man has been indicted on six counts of rape and numerous other charges after police believe he broke into a woman’s apartment and brutally beat and sexually assaulted her over the course of five hours.
The victim’s daughter said her mother underwent a second surgery on Tuesday as doctors worked on reconstructing the broken bones in the woman’s face. The emotional wounds, however, will take years to heal — if at all, she said.
Archie Leak, 52, has been indicted on six counts of rape, gross sexual imposition, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, assault, two counts of kidnapping, petty theft and tampering with evidence in connection with the March 29th incident.
The victim’s family said Leak used a crowbar to gain entry into the woman’s apartment on E. 200th Street. Over the next several hours, Leak allegedly raped and beat the woman. He also reportedly stole some of the victim’s cash and food before leaving around 7:30 that morning, the victim’s family said.
The victim then lay in the apartment for three more hours until a neighbor heard her cries for help.
“She’s traumatized. Her life is not going to be the same, not at all,” the victim’s daughter said.
The victim’s daughter did not want to be identified in an effort to protect her mother’s identity.
The reported assault left the victim with several broken bones in her face, which lead to extensive swelling. Doctors spent several hours on Tuesday working to repair the damage. The victim’s daughter said doctors have given her mother a 25 percent chance of regaining her vision.
“You can’t even open a can of pop around my mom now. She thinks it’s a gunshot. You can’t touch my mom’s arm. My mom is not the same,” the victim’s daughter said. “She was always very loving and wanting to hug, and now you can’t even touch her.”
The victim’s daughter said Euclid police detectives used forensic evidence collected at the scene to quickly identify Leak as a suspect. Leak has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1989, including convictions for burglary. The victim’s daughter lauded the efforts of Euclid police, especially over the Easter holiday weekend.
“We were worried about [delays] because it was a holiday. [Police said], ‘no, with this case we’re going through,’” the victim’s daughter said. “I was so thankful that Euclid PD was able to get him.”
The victim’s daughter said her mother had only seen Leak once, but had never spoken to him. Her mother was always cautious and had lived at her apartment for more than a decade without any issues. Additionally, the daughter said she spoke to her mother the night before to check in on her.
“For this to happen to somebody like her, it makes you think there’s no good people anymore,” the victim’s daughter said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a good person because bad things, horrible things, will happen to you no matter what.”
The victim has a long road to recovery and already faces mounting medical bills. The victim’s family has started a GoFundMe page in order to help cover some of the expected medical debt. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $1500 had been raised.
