Judge Manuel Menendez Jr. talks to Brian Christopher Graham via closed-circuit television Sunday. Graham will remain in jail until trial. [Times photo: Jim Stem]

Bail is denied for sex-crimes suspect

Neighbors express shock over the man suspected in incidents linked to the "cross-dressing rapist."

By LOGAN D. MABE

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 21, 1999

TAMPA -- The man suspected of committing a string of sexually motivated attacks while dressed in women's clothing will remain behind bars until his trial, a circuit judge ruled Sunday.

Brian Christopher Graham, 34, stood silent in his orange jail clothes as Judge Manuel Menendez Jr. ordered him to be held without bail on charges of kidnapping, sexual battery and lewd and lascivious behavior.

The charges stem from two recent incidents in which a man fitting Graham's description accosted two 7-year-old girls at Heritage Village Apartments and, weeks later, snatched an 8-year-old girl from a truck and sexually assaulted her in the parking lot of a west Tampa motel.

Shortly after Graham was arrested at his Tampa home at 4208 Richmere Ave., a dead-end street in the shadow of Busch Gardens, police said he confessed to the kidnapping and to four incidents in which he either exposed himself to or followed children.

On Sunday, neighbors still were finding it hard to believe that someone so much a part of the quiet, family-oriented life on their street could be suspected of such bizarre crimes.

"I'm still pretty disgusted about the whole thing," said Karl DeRoche, who lives across the street from Graham and counted him as a family friend. "He was just another neighbor. There was never anything to make me think otherwise."

Graham, who is married and has a 17-year-old stepdaughter, shared in family barbecues and was trusted enough to roughhouse with neighborhood kids, DeRoche said.

"Just thinking about (the charges) makes me want to throw up," he said.

Police have been looking for a man dubbed the "cross-dressing rapist" since October. They said he was responsible for as many as 22 incidents in which he either approached or attacked young women or children in Tampa or Hillsborough County.

In 15 of the cases, the man wore women's clothing. In 10 of them, he grabbed or attacked his victims.

Rosby Kelly, another of Graham's neighbors, said he had heard stories from other residents about Graham dressing in drag or taking out the trash in a skirt.

"A lot of people talked about seeing him walking around dressed up in girls clothes, but I never did," Kelly said. "He was a normal, neighborly guy. He'd loan you his tools if you asked him to."

Authorities said Graham is likely to face additional charges as the investigation continues.

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