Woman describes hospital rape

A woman who went to Eastern State Hospital last June for treatment of severe depression testified in court Tuesday that a male nurse raped and groped her in the hospital laundry room.

Licensed practical nurse Guylin Michael Johnston, 43, had been assigned “one-on-one” to watch the 30-year-old woman to make sure she didn’t attempt suicide.

The woman, who has been hospitalized several times for mental illness, burst into tears when Deputy Prosecutor John Love asked his first question.

She cried again when Love asked her to describe the events for which Johnston is charged with second-degree rape and indecent liberties.

“Do I have to talk about this?” she sobbed.

She said Johnston was one of various staff members assigned to accompany her around the clock. While seated in the doorway to her room, Johnston chatted about strife with his girlfriend, the woman testified.

Then, she said, she spilled coffee on her clothing and Johnston suggested she wash the garments immediately to prevent coffee stains.

She said he took her to the laundry room after she changed clothes.

The woman said Johnston entered the laundry room with her and allowed the always-locked door to latch behind them. She said she put her coffee-soaked clothing in a washing machine and was shocked when she turned around and found Johnston had exposed himself.

Johnston forced her head down and almost immediately ejaculated in her mouth, the woman testified. She said she tried to push him away, but couldn’t.

Afterward, she said, she spit into a sink and Johnston washed the sink with bleach. Then, she said, she spat her gum and more semen into a tissue that she put in her pocket.

An expert is to testify today that genetic testing showed the semen on the tissue came from Johnston.

After cleaning the sink, Johnston groped her, the woman testified. She said he was interrupted by the sound of another staff member attempting to enter the locked room.

Shortly after they left the laundry room, the woman testified, Johnston told her, “I want to thank you for a pleasurable hour.” She said he smiled “as if nothing had happened. Nothing bothered him at all.”

Defense attorney Rob Cossey said in an interview that Johnston will offer an explanation for the genetic evidence when he takes the stand, which is expected to happen this afternoon. Johnston will deny that he had sex with his patient, consensual or otherwise, Cossey said. He declined to elaborate.

Cossey worked Tuesday to undermine the woman’s credibility. He homed in on several discrepancies between what she told investigators last summer and what she told jurors Tuesday.

For example, several witnesses said the woman told them last June that Johnston began by kissing her. On Tuesday, she said he raped her immediately.

Also, she described herself as being distraught at times when other witnesses said she didn’t seem upset.

Initial reports indicated she told investigators Johnston made her uncomfortable by watching her change her clothing before they went to the laundry room, but she testified Tuesday that he behaved appropriately at her room. She said he had been seated in the doorway, and didn’t glance at her until she buttoned her pants.

Washington State Patrol Detective David Fenn, now a sergeant, said in a report that a hospital official told him there had been previous complaints of “sexual misconduct” by Johnston, but none hospital officials felt they needed to report to police.

Fenn noted that Johnston had prior arrests for alleged reckless endangerment, fourth-degree assault, third-degree malicious mischief, second-degree domestic assault and violation of a domestic protection order.

In January 1997, Johnston pleaded guilty in Spokane County District Court to fourth-degree domestic assault in connection with a July 1996 attack on two women.

According to court records, Johnston confronted an estranged girlfriend who was moving out of his home. He threw her to the ground, got on top of her and tried to cut off her hair with scissors.

Another woman pulled Johnston off the girlfriend, and the girlfriend ran to the women’s pickup. Johnston chased the girlfriend to the pickup and attempted to stab her with the scissors, and the other woman again pulled him away, suffering a cut on her thumb.

Johnston was charged with second- and third-degree felony assault, but eventually pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of fourth-degree assault. His name was misspelled in district court records, and Eastern State Hospital officials failed to discover the conviction.