Suspect in Utah Student's Murder Once Accused of Rape

But investigation went nowhere after woman wouldn't press charges
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 1, 2019 4:56 PM CDT
Suspect in Mackenzie Lueck's Murder Once Accused of Rape
Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown speaks at a news conference on Friday in Salt Lake City.   (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

The man accused of killing a University of Utah student was previously accused of rape by a co-worker, according to a police report obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune. Ayoola A. Ajayi, who faces charges including murder and kidnapping in the death of 23-year-old Mackenzie Lueck, was investigated in 2014 when the woman told police she had a sexual encounter with him that started consensually. But when she wanted to stop, he refused, the woman said. She told police she did not want to press charges, but reported the incident "in case he did the same thing to someone else." Ajayi, now 31, was never interviewed about the incident after the woman stopped cooperating with police.

The Los Angeles Times has more on Ajayi, who, the paper says, "lived a life of contradictions." Meanwhile, Lueck's friends tell Fox News Ajayi was "hunting for women." Police say Lueck met with Ajayi in a park and he was the last person to communicate with her before her disappearance, and her friends are speaking out against victim-blaming. "No person regardless of their gender or dating life deserves to die," one says. "Mackenzie is not responsible for the death and murder of Mackenzie. There’s only one person responsible for that, and we’re here to hold him responsible and we’re going to keep holding him responsible." (Ajayi had also reportedly tried to have a soundproof room installed.)

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