Man convicted of raping sedated woman at Kirkland mental health facility

An Auburn man was convicted on three-of-six-counts of rape for assaulting a sedated woman while he was staying at Fairfax Hospital in Kirkland.

The King County jury rendered their decision on Nov. 23 and Damoan T. Steward will face sentencing before the end of the year.

Steward, 32, was caught on video sexually assaulting a motionless and sedated woman who occupied the room next door, according to court documents.

The woman was sedated after leaving the hospital and being caught at a neighboring property earlier that evening during a lockdown.

Fairfax Hospital staff reviewed the video after the weekend incident occurred. It showed Steward assaulting the woman on five separate occasions on the night of June 20, 2009, leaving the room just prior to bed checks and then returning after staff was gone.

Steward told police that the two had met three days earlier and that the woman was flirting with him. He also stated that the sexual contact was "consensual," according to court documents.

He told police that the woman was complaining of being cold and that he gave the woman his phone number.

Steward's lawyers argued that he heard voices and hallucinates and that he believed the two were in a romantic relationship. He often rambled on about celebrities he does not know, the lawyers continued.

They also claimed that Steward did not understand it was wrong to have sex with the sedated woman and that he was convinced she consented.

But the woman said she did not know Steward, did not flirt with him and did not give him permission to have sex with her.

Police stated in court documents that "(The woman) has obvious mental health issues. It was difficult to keep her tracking with the conversation. She would not remember what you talked about or why you were talking to her."

A nurse at the facility told police that Steward would often expose himself to all the female staff but never the men. She said "they constantly had to redirect this behavior."

The woman was admitted to the hospital after a near "psychotic break," according to court documents.

Steward was voluntarily admitted to Fairfax Hospital after a visit to Valley Medical Center in Renton for not eating. While at the Renton facility, he asked doctors to remove a computer chip he believed was implanted in his jaw, the documents continued.

Contact Kirkland Reporter Regional Assistant Editor Matt Phelps at mphelps@kirklandreporter.com or 425-822-9166 ext. 5052.

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