Terminally Ill Woman Raped, Robbed at Abbey

OCEANSIDE — A 40-year-old terminally ill cancer patient was raped, beaten and robbed by a masked assailant who entered and left her room at Prince of Peace Abbey here by traveling over the roof, police said Wednesday.

The victim said the assailant, who had at least one accomplice, a woman, may have been inside the abbey last week, when a burglary occurred.

The ill woman, who was staying in a guest room at the Benedictine monastery, was awakened about 1 a.m. Monday by an intruder who became angry and hit her on the head with a flashlight when she struggled, Oceanside police spokesman Bob George said.

The suspect then raped her and forced her to perform other sex acts, George said. After the attack, the suspect told the woman to get dressed and then drank a bottle of her medicine.

She told police that, during the attack, she heard noises coming from the roof of the building and shortly afterward a masked woman entered through a window and searched the room for money. A third person could be heard on the roof, she said.

Before fleeing, the two suspects gagged the woman and tied her to a desk chair, George said. The pair stole $65 from her handbag and left through a window to the roof.

The victim told police that as they left she heard the man say: “Maybe they will get the message this time.”

The victim also said her assailant had the same laugh as a suspect involved in a burglary Friday at the monastery, George said.

The assailants wore jeans, and the man, of medium build, wore a denim jacket, George said.

The victim was taken to Tri-City Medical Center for treatment and an examination, George said. She suffered a large bruise on the left side of her scalp and facial bruises, and she complained of pain in her right hip and knee.

Father Charles Wright of the abbey declined to comment on the attack.

The abbey is home to 25 monks of the Benedictine order and has rooms for 30 guests.