Woman accuses fellow candidate of rape
Parties vying for seats in Mo. House
ST. LOUIS — A Ferguson lawyer who is running for a seat in the Missouri House has accused another Democratic candidate of raping her during an August meeting to discuss how they could work together in the upcoming legislative session.
Cora Faith Walker, 31, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which broke the story Saturday, that she was sexually assaulted by Steven Roberts Jr., a former assistant prosecutor, after going to meet him at a St. Louis apartment on the night of Aug. 26. Both candidates are black Democrats who are running unopposed for seats in a Legislature that is predominantly white and Republican.
Walker said she had two glasses of wine and doesn’t remember anything else that happened that night, and that she woke up the next morning in a bed in the home. She said she told her husband what had happened the next day, but that they waited several weeks before going to the police.
The Post-Dispatch reported that two “highly placed law enforcement sources” confirmed that there is an active investigation into Walker’s allegations against Roberts. It didn’t name the sources.
The Associated Press typically doesn’t identify the alleged victims of sexual assault, but Walker asked the Post-Dispatch to name her, saying she hoped that doing so might give courage to women who are victims of rape and encourage a change in culture at the state capital, Jefferson City, which she said “perpetuates gender violence and rape culture.”
Neither Walker nor a police spokeswoman responded to messages seeking further information Saturday and Roberts didn’t reply to emails or voicemails seeking comment.
Roberts’ lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, confirmed that the allegations are being investigated and said he has been in contact with the police. Roberts has not been arrested or charged.
Rosenblum said Walker’s allegations are “unfounded.”
“I think that we will be able to basically undermine those allegations pretty quickly,” Rosenblum said. “Whatever happened between these individuals was absolutely consensual and I think we have what I would call objective evidence to support that.” He declined to elaborate.
In addition to contacting police, Walker has also reached out to the Missouri House leadership. In a letter to House Speaker Todd Richardson, a Republican, she asked that Roberts be prohibited from taking his seat in the Legislature until the criminal investigation is complete.
Richardson, in a statement, called the allegations “extremely serious and disturbing.”
“The kind of conduct alleged cannot be tolerated in our state and will not be tolerated in the House of Representatives,” Richardson said. He noted that, while the House has no jurisdiction because Roberts is not yet a legislator, “we will monitor the criminal investigation closely and continue to have a zero tolerance policy for sexual assault, misconduct and harassment.”