A man pleaded guilty to raping two disabled women at a facility in Springfield, Virginia. News4’s Julie Carey has the story.
A man whose job was to help adults with disabilities has pleaded guilty to raping two clients in Fairfax County, Virginia, leading to pregnancies for both women.
Bernard Betts-King, 60, pleaded guilty Tuesday to the attacks.
In one case, the woman was unable to say who assaulted her. In the second case, the woman identified Betts-King as her attacker.
Prosecutors said that when Betts-King was confronted with the evidence, he claimed the women "came on to him." Attorneys said both women had the intellectual ability of children and neither had been taught about sex.
DNA tests conducted on the second victim's baby show a 99 percent chance that Betts-King is the father, court documents say. Fairfax County police believe he fathered the child of the first victim as well.
Both women, who police did not identify, were clients of MLVE Community Center in Springfield, Virginia. The organization provides therapeutic and work opportunities to disabled adults.
Betts-King worked with both women in his position as a behavioral technician, prosecutors said.
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Signs of trouble first surfaced in October 2017, newly filed court documents reveal. The family of the first alleged victim discovered she was five months pregnant and notified police. The intellectually disabled woman, who is of Korean descent, gave birth in February 2018 to a biracial baby.
When she was asked who raped her, she said, "I don't know," court documents say.
In November 2018, nearly a year after police and MLVE were notified of the first rape case, the pattern was repeated: Another disabled woman in the program gave birth.
Police say they learned of that case in January 2019. This time, investigators say the victim was able to tell them that Betts-King raped her. And DNA tests show with near certainty that he is the father.
So, if police and MLVE knew about the first woman's rape in October 2017, how was Betts-King able to strike again?
Fairfax County police said that because of a lack of information from the first victim, they had to consider as suspects all males with whom she had contact. They said they were not in a position to test the DNA of the first victim's baby because they had not yet narrowed the list of suspects.
It wasn't until they learned of the second alleged victim that they made the connection to Betts-King.
He was charged with rape and was held without bond at the county jail. It was unclear if he had a lawyer who could comment on the cases.
It's possible that Betts-King had additional victims, police said. He also worked for the organization Community Living Alternatives, in Fairfax, Virginia. Anyone with information is asked to call 703-246-7800.
MLVE previously said the organization is cooperating with police, and that it no longer employs Betts-King. Executive Director Susan Keenan said their staff is shocked.
"We are focused entirely on making sure that our individuals are safe and healthy right now," she said earlier this month.
