The article quotes a police news release as saying: "She had experienced sudden memory loss, impairment inconsistent with the amount of alcohol consumed, blacking out for an extended period of time, waking up feeling something had happened and short flashes of memory about the incident. . . . All of those experiences are consistent with having ingested a date-rape-type drug."
The Philadelphia cases are similar: During the first day of Marsalis' preliminary hearing Tuesday, seven women reported sharing food or drink with Marsalis, then feeling disoriented - feelings that did not correspond with the amount of alcohol consumed. Nearly all of them reported blacking out and waking up in Marsalis' bed. In some cases, they were engaged in unwanted sexual intercourse with him.
Marsalis' preliminary hearing continues today with two more women expected to testify that he sexually assaulted them.
In January, a jury found Marsalis not guilty of drugging and raping three other women he had met online. Three jurors interviewed after the trial told The Inquirer that while Marsalis seemed capable of the crimes, the prosecution lacked enough evidence for a conviction.
Marsalis came to police attention after a complaint was filed in February 2005, said Capt. John Darby, commander of the Philadelphia Police Department's Special Victims Unit. A lengthy police investigation that involved searching Marsalis' computer led detectives to more victims, he said.
The seven women who testified during Tuesday's preliminary hearing said they did not immediately report their crimes to police. Darby said the delayed reports were a challenge because investigators did not have physical evidence, such as drug scans.
But, he noted, the similarity of the cases should be enough.
"The theme repeats itself. . . . He treated them, seemingly, as a date, paying for food and drinks, and then it deteriorated to sexual assault," Darby said. "But in a traditional sense, he's a serial rapist, out on the highway preying on unsuspecting victims. He's just as dangerous as the guy who jumps out from behind the bushes."
In the Sun Valley investigation, the woman came forward early enough to be examined at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center. Marsalis' home was searched, and items taken were sent to a state lab for analysis. The results were not available.
A Sun Valley police spokesman said the prosecution had "a really strong case" against Marsalis in Idaho.
Marsalis - originally from Kent, Wash. - spent time in Sun Valley during the early 1990s, according to police. Upon his return in 2005, he attempted to get work as a volunteer firefighter. At the time of his arrest, police said he was working for the Sun Valley Company, which operates the area's well-known ski resort.
Contact staff writer Natalie Pompilio at 215-854-2813 or npompilio@phillynews.com.
