Richard Witherow
A Chattanooga man is being held on a $1-million bond after a woman told police he repeatedly beat her while raping her in public.
Richard Witherow, 46, of Chattanooga has been charged with one count of aggravated rape.
Police have charged Richard James Witherow with aggravated rape after a woman said she was raped along W. MLK Boulevard after meeting him at Miller Park.
Witherow, who was earlier convicted of voluntary manslaughter, is being held on a $1 million bond. In the murder case, police said Witherow shot his nephew at a family gathering in Ooltewah. He got an eight-year prison sentence after a jury conviction in 2004.
In the rape case, police said they found the woman half dressed and with signs of physical trauma to her face and neck on Sunday night in the 400 block of West MLK Blvd.
She said she struck up a conversation with Witherow after he got off a CARTA bus. They went to a food market and bought beer and cigarettes. She said they talked and smoked for about an hour.
The woman said Witherow attacked her after she declined his offer of $20 for sexual favors. She said he grabbed her by her hair and pulled her to the ground behind a gazebo. She said he held a box cutter to her throat while sexually assaulting her.
The woman said he hit her in the face every time she screamed and at one point he choked her.
She picked Witherow out of a photo lineup.