Kwentel Lakelvrick Moultrie is a 21-year-old resident of 129 Brittany lane in Palm Coast. He’s been arrested four times on misdemeanor charges and his name has appeared in 13 cases the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has investigated, according to detectives. Today, he was arrested on a charge of raping a 16-year-old girl in an alleged incident dating back to last June.
It was supposed to be a sleepover between girls. The alleged victim had been hanging out with several friends the night of June 20. When they were at Steak ‘n Shake, Moultrie and his friends joined up with the girl and her friends. They all went to one of the girls’ sister’s house, spent some time there together, then everyone left.
“Later, unannounced, the males entered the residence through an unknown door and went into the spare bedroom,” Moultrie’s arrest affidavit states, while the 16-year-old and another girl were sleeping, or at least in a room in the dark.
The 16-year-old alleges she was then raped by either Moultrie or the other male. The alleged victim was later brought to the First Coast Protection Team, where a sexual assault exam was conducted and she was interviewed. The DNA matched that of Moultrie, whose DNA was already in a Florida Department of Law Enforcement database.
Sheriff’s detectives obtained another DNA sample from him, and interviewed Moultrie in February. He recalled hanging out with the girl. But he denied entering the house or ever engaging in any type of sex with the girl. He did so even after being presented with the DNA evidence. He told detectives the girl was lying, and that he’d never had sex with her. The second DNA sample again confirmed the match, with a one in 700 billion chance that it was that of another man. There are fewer than 4 billion men on the planet.
Detectives interviewed Moultrie on Feb. 20. His answers may have been inspired by nearly identical accounts in the news that very week.
On Feb. 17, 18 and 19, the top news in Flagler County included the trial and conviction of Tonda Royal, a 54-year-old man accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl in the Mondex. The case was almost identical to Moultrie’s in key respects: Royal’s sperm DNA was found in the girl. Royal insisted, on the stand and through his defense attorney, that he’d never had sex with the victim, that she had lied–and that she somehow had managed to get her hands on his sperm from another girl he’d had sex with, inserting it in herself to get him in trouble. (That other girl remained a mystery throughout the trial.) The jury didn’t buy it.
That segment of the trial had featured an entirely incredulous Melissa Clark, the assistant state attorney who prosecuted the case, disbelievingly asking Royal if he was really standing by his story. Clark is the prosecutor in the Moultrie case as well.
“DNA evidence doesn’t lie, but criminals do,” Sheriff Rick Staly was quoted as saying in a release. “I am proud of this victim for
having the courage to come forward and explain what happened. Our detectives and forensics did a great job. We hope the victim is able to mentally and physically recover from this heinous crime.”
The original charge against Royal was first-degree rape. That’s the charge against Moultrie, a first-degree felony that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison on conviction. The State Attorney later changed the charge against Royal to unlawful sex with a minor, a second-degree felony, because the first-degree felony charge requires that the state prove that the assault was violent and forcible–a sometimes difficult charge to prove, absent other evidence. Royal was sentenced to 12 years in prison last month. He’s appealing.
really says
BYE Bye
Land without blinkers says
This seems to be a continual problem in Flagler county….multiple arrests and charges only to be released to commit again. Wake up people, these scum bags need to be put away for a long time! If that were my daughter he would have alot more to worry about than the law.
ASF says
Besides the fact that this guy has obviously gotten away with far too much for far too long…Does anybody actually keep an eye on their children in this town?
Mary Fusco says
Agree. It seems the girls picked him up and let him know where they were staying. I don’t doubt it happened BUT where was the parent chaperone of the underaged girls?
LawAbidingCitizen says
this just justifies how stupid this kid really is. I don’t mean stupid for committing the crime, but actually mentally stupid. your DNA was found on the girl! you’re caught, no questions asked. and to top that she was a minor. so if you don’t get charged with the rape, you will still be a pedophile.
I worked FDOC, and the prisoners in there don’t take kindly to pedophiles… don’t drop the soap homeboy!!! you will certainly get whats coming to you. your public defender has no chance in this case.
Bob says
This case has more holes in it than a slice of over-fermented Swiss cheese. To wit: A 16 year old girl comes from Maryland to Palm Coast to visit a girlfriend (“FOR A SLEEPOVER “). Where was/were her parent(s) in this plan ? How did she get to Palm Coast ? Did she only stay in Palm Coast for one night (the ‘sleepover ‘) ? They procured TWO bottles of Vodka that night. They played a game called “Let’s Get Fuc_ _ _ Up”. The two girls DID get “Fuc_ _ _ Up” and made their way to Wal-Mart and Steak & Shake. One of the girls called the defendant and invited him and friend(s) to join them. The defendant and friend(s) did join them. Both girls began to display signs of inebriation by staggering, falling down and vomiting. They ALL then go to the house where the alleged rape took place. But wait…..there’s more. The house is owned by the sister of victim’s friend. The sister was sleeping with her boyfriend in the bedroom on the other side of the house. The victim, her girlfriend and the ‘friend(s)’ quietly sequestered on the opposite side of the house. There is no mention of sexual intercourse at his point. The defendant and friend(s) then leave the house. Some time later, the defendant and friend(s) return. They are snuck in through a rear door of the house by the victim. This is where the story gets even more perplexing. The victim claimed that she was inbed, asleep or going to sleep, when she felt the presence of a man in her room and the subsequent penetration of her vagina. She states that she didn’t know which one of the invitees it was. Now, how did she know it was one of the invitees, you know……the defendant or friend(s) if she hadn’t just snuck them into the house, through a back door ???????? She was, apparently, still too drunk to identify the man. Here’s another wrinkle in the tale……….at some point before the sexual intercourse occurred, the sister was awakened by a barking dog. She investigated the house. The defendant and friend(s) hid somewhere until the sister went back to her own room. That’s when the alleged rape or sexual intercourse took place. Was it “rape” or was it “consensual sex” ? The victim’s girlfriend states that she heard the victim screaming “stop” multiple times. Why didn’t that awaken the sister when a barking dog did ? Speculation: Maybe the victim was screaming ” Don’t Stop ” ! Now…..if it was consensual sex, why did the defendant lie about having sex with the victim ? He clearly DID, and he knew that he did. His DNA, his sperm, was present inside her vaginal tract. This fact was proven through a medical examination. Another thing that bothers me is the fact that the victim refuses to appear in court to offer her testimony. Can’t she be subpoenaed ? Many more questions and many more witnesses are required in order to unravel this conundrum. I also, vehemently, disagree with the inadmissability of the defendant’s prior criminal history. With all of that said…….I don’t know which attorney in this case chose to reject me from taking a seat in the jury box !