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Portland man accused of luring models, sexual assault facing first of four trials
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The trial began Tuesday for a man accused of luring a young woman into his Southeast Portland home and sexually assaulting her over seven years ago.
This marks the first of four separate trials set for , who faces charges including first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree sodomy for incidents involving four women from 2011 to 2018.
This latest incident happened on Aug. 17, 2018, when court documents say Weiss — under the name 'Kawiri' — offered a 19-year-old homeless woman a modeling job and brought her to his home studio in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood.
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Weiss then allegedly bound, gagged and blindfolded her, painting her for over an hour before strangling and sexually assaulting her, according to police. The woman reported the attack to police soon after leaving the house.
However, court documents say the initial investigation into the assault was suspended for over three years when the victim would not pursue charges 'for personal reasons.'
When the investigation resumed in 2021 and she decided to file charges, the woman later told police that she'd looked at Kawiri's webpage prior to modeling for him and was aware of his style. It 'appeared to show nude women bound in a Japanese style and was tastefully done.'
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But court documents state the woman and Weiss had set clear expectations for boundaries over text, never asking her for permission to engage in the sexual acts.
After the woman's sex assault kit was sent to the Oregon State Police Crime Lab, collected DNA evidence matched Weiss.
He was arrested by U.S. Marshals on March 3, 2023 and pled not guilty on all charges.
Weiss remains behind bars at Inverness Jail pending the results of this trial and three other cases. First reported by the Oregonian, all the cases involve women who allegedly met Weiss under the pretense of modeling jobs.
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