Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | 2:57 p.m.
Hi, (not you?) | Member Center | Sign Out
Posted: 9:55 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012
comment(1)
SEATTLE —
A Seattle lawyer accused of raping massage parlor employees pleaded not guilty during a brief court hearing Wednesday for arraignment on rape and other charges.
The lawyer for Danford Grant did not argue for lower bail, said KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Jeff Dubois, who attended the hearing. Grant is being held in the King County Jail pending $3 million bail.
In charges filed on Sept. 27, prosecutors said Grant is "an extreme danger to the community" who attacked four massage parlor employees.
"In mid-August, he broke down the door of a home and violently raped another massage therapist inside. In late August, he raped a massage therapist in Bellevue at knifepoint. In mid-September, he raped a fourth victim at knifepoint at a massage parlor. And in late September, he attacked the fourth victim again and raped forcibly raped her," the prosecutor's office wrote in the documents.
Grant was arrested Sept. 24th, near a massage clinic in Greenwood.
Prosecutors said they have surveillance video of Grant and DNA evidence that links him to the rapes.
Criminal defense attorney Jeff Coopersmith, who is not related to the case, said because of the video and DNA, Grant's defense will most likely argue that the alleged sexual contact was consensual.
Grant is charged with six felonies, including rape and burlgary.
Grant’s lawyers asked that the media not be allowed to take video of their client’s face. But in an unusual move, prosecutors asked for the same thing.
Coopersmith said a photo of a suspect, whether it’s video from a TV news camera or from a Facebook page or another source, can affect the case.
In Grant’s case, Seattle police said there could be other victims who have not come forward, and police want possible victims to be able to identify someone from the scene of the crime and not from another source.
For instance, if the defense can show that the victim saw the person’s face on the news, or on the person’s website, if they have one, then it has the potential to create an argument for the defense that the victim is identifying the person from those things and not from the actual time of the crime.
Coopersmith acknowledges that in the age of the Internet it can be very difficult to keep a suspect’s image out of the public.
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News is showing a photo of Grant’s face because his picture was on his law firm’s website long before he was arrested.
He was a partner at a Seattle law firm, but his name was recently removed from the law practice's name.
comment(1)
© 2013 Cox Media Group. By using this website,
you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices
.
Already have an account? Sign In
{* #registrationForm *} {* traditionalRegistration_displayName *} {* traditionalRegistration_emailAddress *} {* traditionalRegistration_password *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *}Already have an account? Sign In
{* #registrationFormBlank *} {* registration_firstName *} {* registration_lastName *} {* traditionalRegistration_displayName *} {* traditionalRegistration_emailAddressBlank *} {* registration_birthday *} {* registration_gender *} {* registration_postalZip *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordBlank *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirmBlank *} {* agreeToTerms *}We have sent you a confirmation email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account.
We look forward to seeing you frequently. Visit us and sign in to update your profile, receive the latest news and keep up to date with mobile alerts.
Don't worry, it happens. We'll send you a link to create a new password.
{* #forgotPasswordForm *} {* forgotPassword_emailAddress *}We have sent you an email with a link to change your password.
We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.
To sign in you must verify your email address. Fill out the form below and we'll send you an email to verify.
{* #resendVerificationForm *} {* resendVerification_emailAddress *}Check your email for a link to verify your email address.

You're Almost Done!
Select a display name and password
{* #socialRegistrationForm *} {* socialRegistration_displayName *} {* socialRegistration_emailAddress *} {* traditionalRegistration_password *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *}Tell us about yourself
{* registration_firstName *} {* registration_lastName *} {* registration_postalZip *} {* registration_birthday *} {* registration_gender *} {* agreeToTerms *}