Inset: Tristen Alan Leritz (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office). Background: Intersection of Centerville Road and Pond View Court in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, where Leritz allegedly raped a woman (Google Maps).
A Minnesota man allegedly let his "stupid urges take control" when he sexually assaulted a woman he attacked while she was on a walk, making her believe that "she was going to die."
Tristen Alan Leritz, 21, stands accused of criminal sexual conduct. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit prepared by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, the 51-year-old victim was walking and talking with her friend on the phone around 8 p.m. Oct. 28 in the 1000 block of Pond View Court in Vadnais Heights, a Minneapolis suburb.
Suddenly, a man came up from behind her and tackled her to the ground, ordering her not to scream.
"She yelled out to her friend on the phone to call 911. She fought the male. She grabbed his glasses and threw them into the grass. Cars drove by but nobody stopped. She yelled for help," cops wrote.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
The woman could tell the man was a bigger person as he held her down.
"She was unable to breathe," the affidavit stated. "The male took his forearm and pressed down on her neck. She believed that she was going to die."
He then proceeded to sexually assault her for 15 to 30 minutes, per police. After the assault was over, the suspect "casually" walked away, cops said. She ran to a nearby home for help. When deputies arrived, she had leaves stuck in her hair and her hands were shaking. She had a red abrasion across her throat and cuts on her face.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension analyzed DNA and came up with a match for Leritz. After hearing about the glasses the victim knocked off during the assault, Leritz's family also alerted cops, according to local CBS affiliate WCCO.
After receiving his Miranda rights, Leritz at first denied assaulting the woman. But when confronted with all the evidence, he eventually admitted to his actions, cops said. He said he was riding his bicycle when he spotted the woman walking alone, cops wrote. Leritz allegedly said he thought to himself "F— it, since I'm a virgin."
He watched her for about five minutes and then waited for her to pass him. When she did, the 6-foot-8-inch, 248-pound man pounced on her, according to deputies. He allegedly said "it escalated from there … my stupid urges took control." Leritz said he "fully raped her," the affidavit stated.
When he was done, he rode his bicycle home.
Leritz has a previous conviction for theft of a motor vehicle and has a pending charge for robbery, cops say. He's currently in the Ramsey County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 25.