UPDATE: Man found not guilty after blaming sleepwalking for sex attack
Man, 27, who 'molested his roommate's bikini model girlfriend while she slept' says he did not know what he was doing because he was sleepwalking
A man accused of molesting his New York roommate's model girlfriend while she slept claims he did not know he was doing it because he was sleepwalking.
Nick Liu, 27, is charged with one count of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse over an incident that took place in the Manhattan apartment he shared with Shane Payne on September 11, 2015.
Payne had flown his girlfriend, who has not been named, from Florida to New York for a romantic weekend. When she arrived, they went out for drinks at a bar on the Lower East Side, according to the New York Post, before they went home to have sex.
Payne told the Manhattan Criminal Court Wednesday his girlfriend fell asleep in bed after they had sex, at which point he left the bedroom and went to read a book on his couch in the living room.
Nick Liu (pictured in court on Thursday), who is accused of molesting his New York roommate's model girlfriend while she slept, claims he did not know he was doing it because he was sleepwalking
Payne's girlfriend then testified she woke up to find Liu kissing her neck and molesting her, according to the Post.
She told the court she shouted, 'Stop, Stop!' as she pushed the 27-year-old away.
Payne's testified picked up on what happened immediately after the alleged incident.
'The next thing I remember is being violently shaken by [my girlfriend], and she’s screaming, "Nick fingered me!"' he told the court.
Nick Liu (left) is charged with one count of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse over an incident that took place in the Manhattan apartment he shared with Shane Payne (right) on September 11, 2015
'She's in hysterics. I wake up and storm into Nick's room.'
Payne then said his roommate said to him: 'I'm so sorry, I can’t believe I did this.'
Traumatized by the alleged incident, Payne's girlfriend then flew home to Florida.
Lisa Philips, Liu's mother, then told the court her son had a sleep disorder since he was a boy and was asked by the prosecution to describe any incidents she could remember.
Philips, who is a kindergarten teacher in New Jersey, said: 'His dad and I would wake up and he'd be in our room lost, staring off into space'.
However, the upset mother then broke down during an intense cross-examination from Assistant District Attorney Mimi Mairs.
'Was there ever a time when your son was sleepwalking that he put his fingers in your vagina or your daughter's?' Mairs asked.
Philips broke down in tears, saying: 'That’s awful... What's wrong with you?'
Liu's girlfriend, Alexandra Berg, then spoke to the jury about experiences she had with his sleep issues over their five-year relationship.
Berg explained twice every month or so Liu would grab her breasts and vagina while he was asleep.
'The first few times it happened, I didn’t know he was asleep,' she told the court, according to the Post.
'He woke up during it, and you could see his eyes going from unconscious to confused.'
She then said her boyfriend called her immediately after the incident in September 2015.
'He felt horrible about what happened,' she said, before going on to say he moved out of the apartment the next week.
'(He) wanted to live alone to ensure nothing like this would happen again.'
Man, 27, who 'molested his roommate's bikini model girlfriend while she slept' says he did not know what he was doing because he was sleepwalking
- Nick Liu, 27, is charged with forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse
- 27-year-old allegedly touched his former roommate, Shane Payne's, girlfriend
- Alleged incident took place in their Manhattan apartment on September 11, 2015
- Liu said he did not know what he was doing at the time due to a sleep condition
A man accused of molesting his New York roommate's model girlfriend while she slept claims he did not know he was doing it because he was sleepwalking.
Nick Liu, 27, is charged with one count of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse over an incident that took place in the Manhattan apartment he shared with Shane Payne on September 11, 2015.
Payne had flown his girlfriend, who has not been named, from Florida to New York for a romantic weekend. When she arrived, they went out for drinks at a bar on the Lower East Side, according to the New York Post, before they went home to have sex.
Payne told the Manhattan Criminal Court Wednesday his girlfriend fell asleep in bed after they had sex, at which point he left the bedroom and went to read a book on his couch in the living room.
Nick Liu (pictured in court on Thursday), who is accused of molesting his New York roommate's model girlfriend while she slept, claims he did not know he was doing it because he was sleepwalking
Payne's girlfriend then testified she woke up to find Liu kissing her neck and molesting her, according to the Post.
She told the court she shouted, 'Stop, Stop!' as she pushed the 27-year-old away.
Payne's testified picked up on what happened immediately after the alleged incident.
'The next thing I remember is being violently shaken by [my girlfriend], and she’s screaming, "Nick fingered me!"' he told the court.
Nick Liu (left) is charged with one count of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse over an incident that took place in the Manhattan apartment he shared with Shane Payne (right) on September 11, 2015
'She's in hysterics. I wake up and storm into Nick's room.'
Payne then said his roommate said to him: 'I'm so sorry, I can’t believe I did this.'
Traumatized by the alleged incident, Payne's girlfriend then flew home to Florida.
Lisa Philips, Liu's mother, then told the court her son had a sleep disorder since he was a boy and was asked by the prosecution to describe any incidents she could remember.
Philips, who is a kindergarten teacher in New Jersey, said: 'His dad and I would wake up and he'd be in our room lost, staring off into space'.
However, the upset mother then broke down during an intense cross-examination from Assistant District Attorney Mimi Mairs.
'Was there ever a time when your son was sleepwalking that he put his fingers in your vagina or your daughter's?' Mairs asked.
Philips broke down in tears, saying: 'That’s awful... What's wrong with you?'
Liu's girlfriend, Alexandra Berg, then spoke to the jury about experiences she had with his sleep issues over their five-year relationship.
Berg explained twice every month or so Liu would grab her breasts and vagina while he was asleep.
'The first few times it happened, I didn’t know he was asleep,' she told the court, according to the Post.
'He woke up during it, and you could see his eyes going from unconscious to confused.'
She then said her boyfriend called her immediately after the incident in September 2015.
'He felt horrible about what happened,' she said, before going on to say he moved out of the apartment the next week.
'(He) wanted to live alone to ensure nothing like this would happen again.'
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That chick probably got there and started bullshittin' with the pussy, dude got mad and told his roommate she was passed out drunk and to go on and finger her
