Ex-Inmate Accused in Rape, Beating of Child Called Girl X
A 25-year-old ex-convict was charged Thursday in the rape and beating of the 9-year-old child known as Girl X, nearly three months after she was found unconscious in a filthy public housing stairwell.
Patrick Sykes allegedly raped, choked and poisoned Girl X for sexual gratification, said Chicago police spokesman Paul Jenkins.
It was “a crime of opportunity. He saw the victim walking alone and went after her,” Jenkins said.
Sykes, who was in prison from 1991-1993 for attempted criminal sexual assault, confessed to the brutal attack of Girl X and revealed details not known to the general public, Jenkins said.
He was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, predatory sexual assault, heinous battery, unlawful restraint and aggravated sexual assault of a minor, Jenkins said.
Sykes was visiting Girl X’s building in the Cabrini-Green apartment complex when he saw her, police said.
The girl still cannot speak and communicates only by shaking her head, and doctors do not yet know her long-term prognosis.
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