Man arrested for raping woman he met through online dating service

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Marvin Amell of Mulberry was arrested and charged with rape and criminal deviate conduct

Marvin Amell of Mulberry was arrested and charged with rape and criminal deviate conduct. (Photo provided)

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Apr 24, 2008 at 12:14 PM EST

Story Updated: Apr 24, 2008 at 12:16 PM EST

PULASKI CO. — A Winamac woman says a man she met through an online dating service raped her.

Police arrested 50-year-old Marvin H. Amell, Sr. of Mulberry on Tuesday.

The victim told police she met Amell through an online dating service earlier this year and had been corresponding with him.

The victim said they met at her home on April 13 and were drinking wine when she started to feel sleepy. She told police she was then raped.

Investigators say the victim had bruises on her body afterward.

Amell was charged with rape and criminal deviate conduct.

Thursday, May 1 at 8:07 PM anonymous wrote ...

keep this pig locked up for ever, he is worthless to society. jerks like him should not be out on the steets. i've heard that he's on a lot of different dating web sites, so ladies if you see him, please ignore him.

Tuesday, Apr 29 at 3:24 PM Erica wrote ...

I am feeling at a loss here - the woman has dissappeared from the context of this discussion. Where did she go? We are leaving out the victim in an attempt to get opinions onto public media. Fine idea, but let's not forget the victim in this case. I hope she has support, please be aware that victims can get support from Sex-Offense-Services any time free of charge. I am sorry this happened to you, I really am. No matter what you read,or hear you didn't deserve this.

Tuesday, Apr 29 at 2:28 PM Anonymous wrote ...

i've know the jerk for 4.5 years and he's nothing but a looser i don't know if he raped that poor woman or not. but like i said hes a jerk ans a looser how knows what he's bound to do to get laid

Sunday, Apr 27 at 12:22 PM Anonymous wrote ...

The person who is writing in the comments about this guy being innocent (1:56pm) does sound like a rotten mother who is only thinking about her own selfish needs. she needs to be locked up for negelecting her children. this person cannot be trusted either if she thinks this pig is innocent.

Sunday, Apr 27 at 8:35 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Men continue to prey on woman and children as long as JUDGES let them off with a slap on the wrist. How many more will this man hurt before they send him away for good.

Sunday, Apr 27 at 8:19 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Someone should investigate the woman at 1:56pm....she sounds like a rotten mother and deparate woman to think this guy's her dream!

Sunday, Apr 27 at 8:17 AM Sunday Paper wrote ...

Wake up people!!! NO MEANS NO....even if it is your long-time boyfriend or even your husband...a woman's right to say NO is protected by the law!!! It's called RAPE! A woman's body is her own and no one has a right to violate that according to the LAW!!!!!! Throw the sicko to the wolves!

Saturday, Apr 26 at 5:01 PM Anonymous wrote ...

i can't belive anyone would stick up for this guy. most everyone who has made a comment is right about this guy, except for the one person who wrote in at 1:56 p.m.. that person obviously didnt get the memo that he is a RAPIST. get real, people on the internet cannot be trusted and how dare you ever bring this person around if you have children.please never let him out, he's very dangerous to the society.

Saturday, Apr 26 at 11:39 AM Nightmare Town wrote ...

What's up with men? Child molesting, rape, criminal deviate behavior.....society has gone to the dogs and men are leading the way. Women need to take charge of this world before it is too late for women and children. Men are dogs and this jerk leads the pack. Hope he gets what he deserves when the "guy" get him in his prison cell. Hope he enjoys.

Saturday, Apr 26 at 11:25 AM Anonymous wrote ...

What does criminal deviate conduct mean anybody know?

Saturday, Apr 26 at 11:23 AM Horrified wrote ...

I will say a prayer for the woman in this story...i feel bad for her. I hope she can get over this and keep going in her life. I bet she will never trust another man again. So sad that men get away with this and judges just let them go. Why?

Saturday, Apr 26 at 10:49 AM Been There wrote ...

I have also been raped under different circumstances, but the theme is still the same, everybody! Rape is about anger and control and isn't about sex at all...this guy gets off hurting and controlling. Think about it. I know what this woman has been through AND i know how hard it is going to be for a long time to get beyond it all. Try thinking about HER.

Saturday, Apr 26 at 10:43 AM Sympathetic wrote ...

Look at this man....this story should be a wake-up call to all woman....be so careful....there are some slick losers out there and we should all feel for this woman

Saturday, Apr 26 at 10:30 AM Allstar wrote ...

Dear "Me" Whether this man was nice to you and your children is irrelevant. Rape is rape..why in the world would someone go through what she did and then claim rape just to get back at the jerk..you need a reality check. Maybe you should feel lucky you didn't end up the same way.

Saturday, Apr 26 at 10:26 AM RunningMan wrote ...

Look at this guys picture.....looks like a serial killer to me

Saturday, Apr 26 at 10:25 AM Question wrote ...

What is criminal deviate conduct? Obviously, this guy is sick and need to be gone for a long time....he'll make a nice "boyfriend" in prison

Saturday, Apr 26 at 10:23 AM Online Dater wrote ...

I do online dating, and believe me I ran across this jerk on 3 different sites, and he may be smooth, but he has been doing this for a long, long time, and I feel lucky that i walked away from him after 2 phone calls. These are the risks we take, but that poor woman DID NOT deserve what she got. Lock this losser away, before he does worse NEXT time.

Saturday, Apr 26 at 10:20 AM Penelope wrote ...

I agrre completely...this poor woman's life is destroyed by the brutal acts of this loser, and you are blaming HER??? Wake up people.....this is vicious crime and you should be more sympathetic. Ask yourself...why was he also charged with "Criminal Deviate Conduct" obviously there is more to the story than just rape. My heart goes out to this poor woman. I hope she can heal and find peace with this.

Saturday, Apr 26 at 10:16 AM sorry wrote ...

why does society still automatically blame the woman...while we don't know the details, and she maybe should have been a little more careful, HE IS THE ONE TO BLAME HERE....WHY DO MEN DO THIESE THINGS?

Saturday, Apr 26 at 10:13 AM farmgirl wrote ...

i know this victim...she confided in me....she had met him several times before in public places...his is evil and these comments still show...how ignorant people are about rape....it isn't about sex...it is about power and control.....he need to be locked up...he has done the same things to many others

Friday, Apr 25 at 2:06 PM Linda wrote ...

1:56 pm. Are you kidding? She had bruises on her body according to the investigators. Glad to see the jerk is in jail.

Friday, Apr 25 at 1:56 PM me wrote ...

i believe in not guitly till proven guilty, i have known this man and he is nice and gentle, this is a setup by o lot of women he knows who want more of him. he never did any thing wrong to me or my dchildren. she wants revenge for him straying away from her to the arms of another.

Friday, Apr 25 at 12:54 PM Captain Tripps wrote ...

Hey Ray Doustdar, do you go around to different news outlets looking for rape stories so you can hawk your dating site?!?! Disgusting. C'mon ladies, just take a look at the rapist. Why would you invite him into your home for ANY reason?!?!

Friday, Apr 25 at 9:44 AM Linda wrote ...

I am recently divorced and I assure you, if I met someone on line and wanted to meet them in person, it would be in a public place. Just goes to show how easy someone can slip into your life and then destroy it. So sorry to the victim.

Thursday, Apr 24 at 4:06 PM Elaine wrote ...

You really can never know someone you meet online until you've spent time with them, but along those same lines, you can think you've gotten to know someone you meet in person and they can still turn out to be freeky scumbags - look at how many single mothers dated men, thought they were safe enough to leave their children with, and then found out they were abusing their kids?? it's just not safe out there PERIOD.

Thursday, Apr 24 at 3:53 PM A. wrote ...

It can take a person a very long time to get to "really" know another person. We do not know all of the facts here. Do NOT judge this woman. Have you ever dated someone for months only to find out that everything they have been saying is a lie? It happens, trust me. People lie and can cover up the behaviour that they know is unacceptable. It eventually comes out as it did to this victim.He may have other victims.He can not be reformed,lock him up forever with a big hairy guy that will rape him.

Thursday, Apr 24 at 2:25 PM Why? wrote ...

Erica- If you read my comment fully you would see I wasn't blaming her. I don't think the rape is her fault. She just was ignorant in letting someone into her home that she really had no clue about. That is what I was getting at.

Thursday, Apr 24 at 1:31 PM Erica wrote ...

Dear WHY?, I also believe that women have to be careful. But make no mistake, this is this man's fault. He is to blame, not the victim. What she did isn't illegal. Rape is the rapist's fault - every time.

Thursday, Apr 24 at 1:05 PM Svengali wrote ...

Always some loser trying to shill his product. RAY.

Thursday, Apr 24 at 12:55 PM Why? wrote ...

Why in the world would you invite someone who you don't really know into your home, then drink alcohol? I don't think this lady deserved this at all, but lets have a reality check here.Stranger in your home= potential trouble.

Thursday, Apr 24 at 12:23 PM Ray Doustdar wrote ...

This problem continues to plague the concept of online dating. This is very unfortunate, and should not happen. This is one of the reasons I am so passionate about Teamdating.com, because the group based approach allows for you and your friend to be together and meet another group, so there is safety in numbers. My thoughts are with this poor victim. Respectfully, Ray Doustdar TeamDating.com

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