'Hit her with the hammer:' Charges filed in brutal Elkhorn sexual assault case



Terrence Leflore



ELKHORN -- A 24-year-old Mississippi man has been charged in connection with a sexual assault that happened in Elkhorn on Tuesday, Aug. 28, leaving the 21-year-old female victim so badly hurt she couldn't communicate with police, and prosecutors said it wasn't clear whether she'd survive.

Terrence LeFlore faces the following criminal charges:


    According to a criminal complaint, police responded to a parking lot on Lincoln Street near Walworth in Elkhorn shortly before 10:15 p.m. on Aug. 28 following a report of an unresponsive female -- and a male running away from the scene.

    Police were directed to a vehicle in the paring lot, where they found the badly injured 21-year-old victim. The complaint says her face was "covered in blood" and she had lacerations above her eye and on her lip. She was unresponsive, and her face was badly swollen. She was taken to multiple hospitals for emergency medical treatment and treatment for trauma. At the hospital, it was determined the victim suffered a skull fracture and brain swelling and she had to be taken into surgery. A large portion of her skull had to be removed during surgery to relieve pressure on her brain.

    The complaint says a hammer was recovered at the scene.

    Terrence LeFlore



    On Sept. 3, police were finally able to speak with the victim, who advised that she finished work around 9 p.m. on Aug. 28 and walked to her vehicle. At that point, she said she observed a male, black, sitting on the sidewalk. She said he said "hi" to her, and she said she continued walking to her car. When he said "hi" again, she said she began running to her car. She said she eventually got into her car, and the next thing she remembered was waking up in the hospital.

    Walworth County Fair



    It was determined LeFlore was working for the midway carnival rides at the Walworth County Fair. The complaint says he at first denied being in the area where the attack happened, but he eventually admitted to committing the attack. He said he looked up the time that the business where the victim worked closed, and said he "planned on taking money from the victim and going inside the business." He said when she came out, he followed her to the parking lot, and when she got to her car, he "hit her with the hammer to get her to drop her purse." She then fell to the ground, and he used her keys to open her car door. He said she didn't have much money on her, and he took her clothes off "to make it look like a rape." The complaint says a search of the victim's phone revealed searches for "how can you tell if someone raped someone else," and "fingerprints and blood."

    The complaint notes that LeFlore was arrested for burglary in Mississippi on June 11, 2015, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison.

    LeFlore was in court on Sept. 5 for a bond hearing. Cash bond was set at $1 million.

    A GoFundMe.com account has been created in support of the victim in this case. CLICK HERE to access that account.