A 36-year-old Atlanta man was convicted of raping a woman he had met on a commuter train after pretending to be gay to gain her trust, prosecutors said.
Taurence Callagain met the victim in 2015 at a transit station on the west side of the city, and
the two eventually exchanged numbers after riding the same train, according to a statement from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office. Prosecutors did not identify the victim.
“The victim is a lesbian and has a female partner who she was in a relationship with when she met the defendant,” the office said. “Callagain led the victim to believe he was gay, so she was under the impression that their relationship was strictly platonic.”
Weeks later, after the victim missed the last bus of the night, Callagain offered to drive her home, according to the DA’s office. He then claimed he needed to stop at his house to pick up marijuana, and the victim followed him into his home.
“At that point, the victim thought they were going to Callagain’s bedroom to smoke marijuana when he began to strangle her and proceeded to violently rape her,” the DA’s office stated.
“During the rape, Callagain told the victim if she fought or screamed, ‘I will get my boys to come in and hold you down.’”