Pilsen man accused of brutal Bucktown rape out on bond

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Michael Giffin

Updated: February 3, 2012 8:44PM

A Pilsen man accused of raping a 26-year-old woman, then dragging her back into her Bucktown apartment as she tried to escape before strangling her into unconsciousness is free on bond.

Michael Giffin, 25, of the 1700 block of South Carpenter, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and unlawful restraint for the Saturday rape. He was ordered held on $750,000 bond on Sunday.

But the Cook County Sheriff’s office on Friday confirmed Giffin is no longer in custody at the Cook County Jail after the required $75,000 bond was posted on Wednesday.

His case is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 17, Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said.

Police say they responded to a call for help at 4:15 a.m. Saturday in the 2300 block of West St. Paul. A woman told authorities she had been sexually assaulted. When the woman fled an apartment after the assault — Griffin allegedly pursued her and dragged her back inside, police said.

The woman was taken to Saint Mary Medical Center in “stable” condition, police said.

Giffin works as a youth soccer coach, is studying industrial design at UIC and is an assistant on the UIC soccer team, his attorney said.

Prosecutors say he met the woman at one bar and went to another bar with her, and then shared a cab back to her home.

She invited him in and they had a beer, but when she said she was tired and wanted to go to sleep, he forced her to have sex with him multiple times, prosecutors said. At one point he allegedly threatened to kill her.

When Giffin went to the bathroom, the woman ran out into the hallway and screamed for help but Giffin grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her back into the apartment, prosecutors allege.

He allegedly strangled her until she was unconscious

The woman later identified Giffin as her attacker, prosecutors say.

Wearing a striped sweater and dress pants, he spoke during a brief hearing Sunday only to indicate that he understood he couldn’t contact the victim if he made bail.