Man Accused Of Raping Teenager At Gunpoint Could Beat Charges After Victim Commits Suicide, Prosecutors Say

The tragic case of 18-year-old Garon Hall, who took his own life on June 29, is spurring his mother, Terri Olmedo, to continue the fight to prosecute his alleged rapist. Dwight Orr, Jr., 45, who is accused of the crime, was freed on a personal recognizance bond. With Hall, the only witness to the crime, no longer living, there is a very real chance that Orr might have all charges against him dropped.

This is something that Olmedo will try to stop. In a statement to ABC 6, Olmedo said that she does not want any other parent or family to go through what she’s currently dealing with. According to the grieving mother, her son deserves justice, considering that it was Orr’s actions that allegedly pushed Hall past his breaking point.

“I don’t want anybody else to have to go through the pain that I’m going through. He deserves justice. I know Garon was hurting but this man broke him to the point where he didn’t think he ever could be able to heal again,” she said.

According to Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, the case against Orr has become weaker with the death of the 18-year-old. Hall claimed that he was assaulted in the 45-year-old’s house, where they were spending time together playing video games. The two were friends, though Olmedo feels that her late son probably was not aware of Orr’s violent tendencies.

Prior to meeting the 18-year-old, Orr had three stints in prison for involuntary manslaughter, burglary, and fleeing police with a loaded handgun in his vehicle. During the night of the crime, Hall and two of his friends reportedly went to Orr’s house to party. Hall was left behind after his friends left, and it was then that he was allegedly raped at gunpoint. The 18-year-old ultimately broke free, calling his mother at a UDF store on Tussing road.

In Garon Hall's home memories are everywhere. Pictures spread across the kitchen table. Sympathy cards decorate the coffee table. After Hall was allegedly raped, he took his own life. Now his mother fears his accused attacker might soon have his charges dropped. @10TV at 11. pic.twitter.com/QJHOsJTRkh

— Bryant Somerville (@Bryant10TV) July 25, 2018

In a statement to NBC 4, O’Brien stated that the case has “substantially weakened” with the death of the 18-year-old. The prosecutor stated, however, that he would do what he could to keep the case going.

“The case the State has has been substantially weakened. I don’t want to comment on how we access it, simply because we’re in the process of accessing where we’re at without the victim. Obviously, we understand our case is substantially impaired without a victim in a sexual assault case. The detective is actually trying to gather new information to see if any new information will assist us to go forward,” he said.

Dwight Lamar Orr, Sr., the alleged rapist’s father, for his part, stated that as far as he knows, his son is not a rapist. Orr, Sr. noted that Hall and his son were “riding together all the time” and thus, he does not know what the situation really was. Orr, Sr. stated that he could not believe what happened.

“I really feel for the family, and I don’t know what to say to them, but I’m sorry it happened to their kid,” he said.