French Appeal Court prosecutors announced that an American man accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a disturbing Facebook message was extradited to the United States. The 31-year-old man, a resident of Saratoga, California, was detained in Metz in April after a three-year search and has been in custody pending extradition proceedings since then. The court in Metz ruled in July that he could be extradited.
The man allegedly stalked an 18-year-old student at Gettysburg College, sneaked into her dorm, and sexually assaulted her while she sought help from friends via text messages. The victim, who underwent a rape exam on the same day, diligently collected evidence and witnesses over the years in an effort to seek justice. In 2021, she discovered incriminating Facebook messages purportedly sent by the accused, including one that chillingly stated, 'So I raped you.'
The arrest warrant issued in 2021 accused the man of the assault, and police confirmed that the Facebook account used to send the messages belonged to him. The victim, Shannon Keeler, had been persistent in her pursuit of justice, despite the initial reluctance of local prosecutors to address campus sex crimes. The accused, who was a 20-year-old student at Gettysburg College at the time of the incident, did not return to campus following the assault.
The extradition of the accused was finalized at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, where he was handed over to U.S. authorities. The victim, Shannon Keeler, has granted permission for her identity to be disclosed in this case. This development marks a significant step in the legal proceedings surrounding this disturbing case of sexual assault.
