Alleged Campus Sexual Predator Faces Extradition After Chilling Facebook Message

Tuesday 09 July 2024 - 13:30

In a case that has drawn international attention, a French court has ruled that Ian Cleary, an American man accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and subsequently sending her a chilling Facebook message that read, "So I raped you," can be extradited to the United States to face justice.

The Court of Appeal in Metz, France, handed down the decision on Monday, marking a significant step forward in a case that has been marked by years of delay and frustration. Ian Cleary, 31, a native of Saratoga, California, was apprehended in April in the city of Metz after a three-year international manhunt. He has been held in custody pending extradition proceedings since his arrest.

According to prosecutors, when presented with the option of voluntary extradition in line with French law, Cleary refused. While this refusal may delay the extradition process, it will not ultimately prevent it from taking place. The ruling is final, and the case now rests in the hands of the French Justice Ministry, which must prepare and submit the extradition order for the French prime minister's signature. Until then, Cleary remains detained in France.

The allegations against Cleary stem from a harrowing incident in 2013, when he was a 20-year-old student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. According to the felony warrant issued in 2021, Cleary is accused of stalking an 18-year-old female student at a party, sneaking into her dorm room, and sexually assaulting her while she desperately texted friends for help.

The victim, Shannon Keeler, has granted permission to be identified publicly, breaking the silence that often shrouds such cases. Keeler underwent a rape examination the same day as the assault and spent years gathering evidence and urging officials to file charges against her alleged assailant.

It wasn't until 2021, after Keeler discovered a string of Facebook messages that appeared to come from Cleary's account, that the case gained renewed momentum. "So I raped you," the sender had written, followed by chilling statements like "I'll never do it to anyone ever again," "I need to hear your voice," and "I'll pray for you."

The Associated Press typically does not identify sexual assault victims without their consent, but Keeler has chosen to speak out publicly about her ordeal. Her lawyer in Pennsylvania declined to comment on the recent developments in the case.

According to the 2021 warrant, police verified that the Facebook account used to send the disturbing messages belonged to Ian Cleary. Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett, who filed the warrant, also declined to comment on the latest developments.

After leaving Gettysburg College, Cleary pursued undergraduate and graduate degrees from Santa Clara University, near his family home in California. He then worked for Tesla before relocating to France for several years, according to his website, which describes his self-published medieval fiction.

Keeler, originally from Moorestown, New Jersey, remained at Gettysburg College, graduating and helping lead the women's lacrosse team to a national title. However, her pursuit of justice has been relentless, even as years passed without Cleary's capture.

By 2023, two years after the warrant was issued, Keeler and her legal team wondered how Cleary managed to evade detection in the digital age, despite an Interpol red notice and international manhunt. The U.S. Marshals Service believed he was likely overseas and on the move.

Across the United States, very few campus sexual assaults are prosecuted, both because victims fear going to the police and prosecutors hesitate to bring cases that can be challenging to win, as revealed by an Associated Press investigation.

Keeler, upon the issuance of the warrant, expressed gratitude but acknowledged that it only happened "because I went public with my story, which no survivor should have to do in order to obtain justice."

As the extradition process moves forward, Cleary's alleged actions and the chilling Facebook message have shed light on the often-arduous journey survivors of sexual assault must undertake to seek accountability. While the road ahead remains uncertain, this ruling represents a significant step towards justice for Keeler and a potential reckoning for her accused assailant.