In a harrowing opening statement, Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Daniela Mendes described the ordeal endured by the woman who alleges she was raped by Crosbie as a “nightmare.”
Mendes poignantly remarked, “Our nightmares belong in our sleep, and the nightmare is supposed to end when you wake up. In this case, the nightmare began as she woke up.”
When the incident occurred, the woman was 28 years old and had been enjoying an evening out with coworkers at The Black Rose, an Irish pub located near Faneuil Hall.
She met Liam O’Brien, along with several of his fellow Irish firefighters. According to court records and prosecutors, the woman consented to return to O’Brien’s hotel room at the Omni Parker House.
Surveillance footage indicates that around 11:30 p.m., the woman left the restaurant with O’Brien and made her way to the hotel room.
Prosecutors allege that a consensual encounter took place in the hotel room before O’Brien fell asleep on one of the beds. Meanwhile, the woman went to sleep on another bed.
Crosbie reportedly left the hotel at 11:55 p.m. and returned to the room using his key card at 1:55 a.m., as indicated by hotel security footage.
Mendes revealed that at some point during the night, the woman awoke to find Crosbie allegedly raping her. Mendes stated, “When [Crosbie] entered that hotel room, he saw that [the victim] was asleep, and that she was vulnerable and defenseless. He saw an opportunity, and he took full, violent advantage of it.”
The woman attempted to resist, pushing Crosbie off and demanding, “What are you doing? Stop!” According to police reports, Crosbie allegedly dismissed her protests by saying, “this guy is sleeping, I know you want this. He fell asleep.”
The woman exited the room at 2:15 a.m., approximately 20 minutes after Crosbie entered. Shortly after, she messaged a friend to disclose that she had been assaulted and sought medical attention at a hospital, where she reported the incident to the police.
Crosbie’s defense attorney, Patrick Garrity, countered the prosecution’s claims by asserting that the court does not convict individuals based on “suspicions,” “maybes,” or “what if’s.” Garrity expressed confidence that the evidence would reveal considerable doubt about the prosecution’s case.
He noted that the woman had been consuming alcohol for more than six hours prior to her visit to The Black Rose and claimed that her testimony had “shifted over time.” Garrity added, “You will learn that as recently as actually two weeks ago, her story changed again.”
In his defense, Garrity emphasized that DNA samples, including a cheek swab provided by Crosbie and a cup he drank from, were not found on the woman’s body even after multiple tests.
Garrity remarked, “You will hear [the woman] tell you that her captor was on top of her, inside her, all over her. But you will not hear that they found a single piece of Mr. Crosbie’s DNA anywhere.”
Originally, Crosbie was scheduled to depart the United States after St. Patrick’s Day festivities on March 19. However, following a police interview on March 15, he intended to catch a flight back to Ireland.
He moved his travel time up to an earlier flight after being questioned and released by the police. However, he was taken off the airplane by State Police prior to departure and subsequently arrested.
Crosbie, who has a wife and two daughters in Ireland, was described by his attorney as “scared” after being questioned by law enforcement.
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