Seattle sexual assault suspect could be released from jail over competency ruling

Sexual assault victim worried about possibility of alleged suspect’s release

A man broke into a woman’s home on Capitol Hill and sexually assaulted her. He may be released from prison over competency to stand trial.

A sexual assault survivor said she is fearful after hearing that her alleged perpetrator could be released back into the community after it was ruled he was incompetent to stand trial.

The survivor, who FOX 13 is not naming, was walking back to her Capitol Hill apartment after running errands on Dec. 30, 2021.

She was on the phone with her father who called to wish her a good day because he was not in town.

It was then court documents say 21-year-old Qyreek Singletary stopped her right outside her house.

“A man followed me home. [He] told me a clearly fabricated story, that he was trying to rent an apartment near me. And when I brushed him off and went inside, he forced his way into the door, attacked me, and tried to rape me,” said the victim.

The woman was still on the phone with her father who heard her screams and called 911 from another phone.

“I don’t know if I would be here today if my dad hadn’t been on the phone with me and heard me screaming and called 911,” the victim said.

Court documents say Singletary put a hand over her mouth to quiet her, and a struggle ensued.

He then pulled out a knife and ordered her to go to the bedroom, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her, court documents say.

Seattle police arrived soon after the 911 call was placed and were able to arrest Singletary, who was running out the back door.

He told officers that he didn’t intend to rape the woman, but “law enforcement also recovered a condom, lubrication, and bondage tape on the defendant’s person,” court documents detail. Documents say they also found a knife he allegedly used in the attack.

Singletary was charged with first-degree attempted rape and first-degree burglary.

He was sent to jail before being transferred to Western State Hospital. It was there that an evaluator determined he was not competent to stand trial.

If a judge agrees that Singletary is incompetent to stand trial, that could mean that the case potentially gets dropped.

The survivor said she is traumatized all over again by that news, and told FOX 13 that he was competent enough to plan his actions that day.

“What struck me was how cruel and deliberate and premeditated that attack felt. He locked the front door behind him. He brought a knife. He showed me a condom. He asked me if anybody else was going to be coming to the house,” the survivor told FOX 13.

She tells us she is sharing her traumatic story with FOX 13 News, so that she can get justice.

“The one thing that was getting me through, trying to put my life back together, what that I thought the facts in my case were so black, that somehow I had gotten lucky, whatever that means. And that, even if it took a long time, even if I had to testify at trial, with him looking at me, even if it took years, that there was no way that I wouldn’t get justice. And it felt like an absolute slap in the face,” she said.

FOX 13 News spoke to officials with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office who tell us they are doing everything they can, under the law, to make sure the victim’s voice is heard.

If the charges are dropped, singletary may still be ordered into mandatory treatment, called civil commitment.

The hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 13, however, officials told FOX 13 that the date has been postponed. They say it should be rescheduled for sometime later this month.