Private equity executive charged with horrific sexual violence against women
- Ryan Hemphill is accused of multiple acts of sexual violence against several women in Manhattan.
- He allegedly filmed the assaults and kept the recordings as trophies.
- Concerns about the potential for additional victims and Hemphill's ability to flee have led to his detention without bail.
In the United States, a private equity executive named Ryan Hemphill has been arrested and charged with multiple crimes including predatory sexual assault and rape. The allegations against Hemphill include the horrifying abuse of six women over a span of five months, during which he subjected them to extreme forms of physical and psychological violence. Prosecutors unveiled a chilling account of Hemphill's alleged conduct in court, which involved forcing victims to ingest substances that incapacitated them, along with extensive torture techniques such as waterboarding and electric shocks using cattle prods. Investigators have reportedly uncovered vast amounts of disturbing media recorded by Hemphill in his Manhattan apartment, which he allegedly used as a personal torture chamber. These recordings could contain images of many more victims than initially charged, creating a terrifying scenario for authorities who believe that Hemphill's actions may be just the beginning of a deeper pattern of abuse. The Manhattan District Attorney's office revealed that Hemphill often met these women through online platforms like Craigslist and Seeking, where he posed as someone looking for companionship while luring them into dangerous and abusive situations. The Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, Mirah Curzer, highlighted the calculated approach Hemphill used to exploit his victims by gaining their trust. He had been known to convince some women to recount their past traumas under the guise of role-play, only to reenact those very traumas upon them in a horrific and twisted manner. Many of the victims had hoped for a consensual encounter, but ended up facing unimaginable terror as Hemphill inflicted physical violence upon them, sometimes restraining them for hours. Furthermore, his wealth and social standing, including his background as a lawyer, seemed to provide him a false sense of security. Hemphill purportedly claimed connections to organized crime and law enforcement, suggesting to his victims that he was