Man Held Without Bail After Allegedly Attacking Man, Raping Woman In Lowell
LOWELL (CBS) -- The man accused of attacking a man who later died and then holding his ex-girlfriend against her will and raping her is being held without bail. Hoeup Honn, 38, appeared before a judge in Lowell District Court Tuesday.
He was charged with kidnapping, aggravated rape and assault and battery causing serious bodily injury. Prosecutors expect the assault and battery charged will be elevated to a murder charge.
Investigators said Honn became enraged when he saw his ex-girlfriend and her downstairs tenant in the Lowell home on Sunday evening. He then broke the rearview mirrors off the woman's car.
According to prosecutors, Honn admitted to going back to the Green Steet house. He broke in through a window and was confronted by the downstairs tenant, who family members identified as Heng Tan.
"[Honn] punched him several times in the face, knocking him to the ground and then held him in a chokehold for approximately 45 seconds," said Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Chris Tarrant.
Then, Honn texted the woman from Tan's phone to lure her to the house. When she returned to the house, he allegedly tied her to a chair with socks for hours and raped her, prosecutors said.
"He covered my mouth, took me through the backdoor, and tied me up," the woman told WBZ-TV. We are not identifying her because she is the victim of an alleged sexual assault.
She was able to free herself and call 911 when Honn fell asleep.
"I've been through a lot with him," she said.
Tan, a Cambodian man, will be remembered by friends as an outgoing person who enjoyed working on cars. They said he had just moved into the Green Street apartment on Sunday, one day before he was killed.
"He was a very loving man and a very kind-hearted person. He never deserved anything like this," said his son Tom Sun outside court.
Honn's next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25.