- Was found bleeding with carved skin by police July 22
- Said three masked men broke into her home, tied her up and beat her
- Police said there were inconsistencies in her various reports
- No apparent struggle in her room and no blood found
- Spoke out about the 'attack' over frustration at skeptics who said she made it up
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The lesbian who claimed three masked men broke into her home last month, tied her up, carved anti-gay slurs into her body and tried to set her house on fire will be arrested, after police discovered she was lying about the attack.
Charlie Rogers, 33, who ranks second in career-blocked shots for the University of Nebraska's Cornhuskers, told police the men broke into her Lincoln house on July 22 and attacked her.
Rogers, a lesbian, said one man pinned her down while another sliced a cross into her chest, cut the front of her thighs and shins and carved derogatory words in her arms and abdomen.
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Charlie Rogers, 33, who ranks second in career
blocked shots for the University of Nebraska's Cornhuskers, told police
the men broke into her Lincoln house on July 22 and attacked her
Nebraska's Charlie Rogers (33), guards
Creighton's Corey Sweeney (22) during a women's volleyball match in
Lincoln, Nebraska. An warrant for her arrest has been issued
Rogers told police three men wearing black ski
masks broke into her home during the early morning hours on July 22,
bound her wrists and ankles with zip ties, beat her and carved anti-gay
slurs into her arms and abdomen
Rogers then crawled from her Lincoln home naked, bleeding and screaming for help around 4am, a neighbor told police.
Though she did not come forward publicly immediately, she told KETV that she chose to do so in the face of the skeptics who were accusing her of making it up.
Police said they interviewed Rogers on four separate occasions and because of inconsistencies in her accounts and forensic DNA evidence, a warrant has been issued for her arrest.
'The cuts appeared to be superficial and symmetrical, avoided sensitive areas of the body and appear they would have taken considerable time to do'
'There was no apparent blood on the bedspread; even though Ms Rogers reported she was rolled on to her stomach after she had been cut on her arms, abdomen, chest and front legs while being held down,' it said.
Forensic tests of Rogers’ bedding at the University of Nebraska Medical Center found no traces of blood.
When the FBI sent the pictures of her cuts to experts, they concluded they had been self-inflicted, according to the warrant.
'This opinion is based partially on the fact that the cuts appeared to be superficial and symmetrical, avoided sensitive areas of the body, appear that they would have taken considerable time to do and are accessible to the victim and follow the victim’s frame of reference for reading and writing.'
Dr Michelle Elieff, a forensic pathologist, also noted Rogers had no bruising, even though she alleged the men had beat her up.
Police found a pile of clothes, white knit gloves and a red box cutter on the living room floor.
Rogers said the gloves did not belong to her, but investigators determined that a lot of the DNA inside them belonged to her.
According to NBC, investigators discovered that the gloves, zip ties, blades and a red utility knife were purchased five days before the alleged attack at a hardware store in Lincoln.
Police said they interviewed Rogers on four
separate occasions and because of inconsistencies in her accounts and
forensic DNA evidence, a warrant has been issued for her arrest
The alleged attack led to a swift response from
Lincoln's Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community, which rallied
that weekend outside the state Capitol
Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly said a judge issued an arrest warrant for Rogers on Tuesday and that she'd likely be arrested later in the day.
No one responded to a message seeking comment left at a phone number listed as Rogers'.
The alleged attack led to a swift response from Lincoln's Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community, which rallied that weekend outside the state Capitol.
Four Nebraska gay-rights groups that followed the case released a joint statement on Tuesday crediting police for a balanced and thorough investigation.
'It is important not to focus on the actions of any single individual,' the groups said in the statement.
'As residents of Lincoln we must continue to bring our community together to declare that violence and hate are not the values of our city.'
Wasted vigil: Rogers said she was forever
grateful to those who have offered her love and support after it flooded
in when she first spoke about the 'attack'
When a police investigation turned up no suspects earlier this month, many started to accuse her of making up the attack.
Speaking to KETV she told of her pain and frustration at hearing of her 'doubters'.
She said she had resisted speaking out earlier so as not to interfere with the police investigation but that she wanted her voice to be heard.
'I’m not hiding from this anymore,' she told the news channel.
'I understand that people sort of have a hard time wrapping their heads around the things that have happened, as do I,' Rogers said.
'But I’m a person with feelings, with concerns. For people to think that this doesn’t happen here, it does. It did.
'Being a victim in situation like this or a survivor and then having your integrity questioned, I guess, it feels very victimizing again,' she said.
'It makes an already difficult situation more difficult because my world has been changed forever by these events.'
News of the alleged attack sparked multiple vigils attended by thousands of gay-rights supporters who donated money in support of Rogers in cities throughout Nebraska.
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