West U-area sex assault case now linked to River Oaks peeping Tom case, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The brazen robbery and sexual assault of a woman at a West University-area apartment is now being linked to a series of peeping tom incidents at another apartment complex near the River Oaks area.

Last Friday, Houston police released surveillance video showing a man rummaging through a woman's living room. Police say that man then sexually assaulted that woman. The incident occurred in the Village of West University Apartments, which is located within the City of Houston.

After ABC13 covered the story on our air, a woman reached out, saying she believed the man shown in the video is the same one who repeatedly wandered around her apartment complex on several occasions, peeping into her bedroom.

According to HPD, the man was seen walking inside the Inverness Apartments on Buffalo Speedway on Jan. 13, 16, 17, and March 24. The woman filed police reports on each of those incidents. She also turned over video to Houston police, and notified the Morgan Group, the apartment's management company.

The Village at West University and the Inverness Apartments are located less than a mile apart.

The woman who believes she was the target of the peeping tom shared with us her surveillance video. In the video reviewed by ABC13, you can see a man wearing a hoodie walking around the complex and hopping a fence on Jan. 17. Then on March 24, the man spends an extended amount of time looking at the woman's apartment. The victim tells us he is looking through her bedroom window. She says the incident happened around 5 a.m., and she was awakened to it by her cat acting strangely.

Houston police confirmed they are in possession of the video in their evidence room, but until contacted by ABC13, it did not appear anyone had yet reviewed the video.

The woman says when she compared the sexual assault suspect's video released by HPD with her own surveillance side by side, she realized the cases could be connected. She contacted ABC13 and HPD. The department now confirms it has linked the cases and will be reviewing the video.

If you recognize him, you are asked to call HPD.

ABC13 reached out to The Morgan Group multiple times, asking why they did not notify the entire complex when the Peeping Tom incidents happened in January and March. ABC13 is still waiting for a response.

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