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Burlin Damir Miller Jr., 21, was arrested in connection with the rape on Feb. 24, 2023, according to a police release.
Miller had supposedly offered his cousin "a warm place to sleep" at his home in the 100 block of Colonial Crest Drive on Sept. 28, 2022, Officer Christian Torres explains in the affidavit of probable cause.
After introducing her to his grandmother and daughter, the cousin settled in to sleep on the couch. Miller went and put his daughter to sleep in another room, and then entered the area where his cousin was sleeping around 12:30 a.m. He told her he would help put her to sleep but soon began kissing her and telling her "you need family time," the victim explained to the police according to the affidavit.
She said "no" and he continued to lay beside her, he then rubbed up against her before suddenly hopping to the end of the sofa and penetrating her— that's when she screamed "stop," and he ran to the second floor of the home, according to the affidavit.
The woman then gathered up her things and went to her car, and found Miller chasing her. She went to Ephrata Hospital for a Safe Kit which found semen that was later matched to Miller in January 2023, the police explain in the court documents.
Prior to the DNA match, the woman confront her cousin in text messages where he claimed he was drunk, but he told police he was not drunk and only poured himself a drink after putting his daughter to bed on his way back from the bathroom. He also told police he was not chasing his cousin in the street, merely checking on her to see if she was ok, as detailed in the affidavit.
Miller has been charged with Rape, Sexual Assault, and Indecent Assault, police say and court records confirm.
He has been held on $100,000 in bail in the Lancaster County Prison and his preliminary hearing has yet to be scheduled at the time of publishing.
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