KEY WEST, Fla. – A 46-year-old man was arrested Sunday night after deputies said he raped a 27-year-old woman, and then attempted to kill her.
Jeffrey Sundwall had invited the victim onto his boat, a 34-foot cabin trawler named Today which is anchored in Key West Harbor near Christmas Tree Island, deputies said.
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While the victim was on the boat, Sundwall came up behind her and put a “sexual restraint collar” around her neck and choked her with it until she was unconscious, deputies said.
When the victim came to, she told deputies Sundwall was raping her and had placed a gag in her mouth so she couldn't scream.
The victim was held for hours, deputies said, and was tortured during that time. She begged for her life at one point, and was told if she struggled, she'd die.
By Monday morning Sundwall, who operates a water taxi service, had picked up a man for a ride while the victim was still on the boat, deputies said.
The victim told the man she'd been raped and asked to use his phone to call for help, deputies said.
When Key West police arrived, Sundwall was in possession of crack cocaine and arrested on a charge of possession of an illegal drug.
The Sheriff's Office then took over the investigation, as it fell under its jurisdiction.
Sundwall remains in jail without bond on charges of attempted murder, false imprisonment and sexual assault with a weapon or with force.