A man accused of beating and raping a woman inside a Philadelphia parking garage will find out if his case will go to trial.
Steven Woodson, 32, is expected in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing and faces rape, attempted murder, robbery, aggravated assault and related charges in the violent assault that took place New Years morning on the second floor of a parking garage located at 17th and Callowhill streets in the city's Spring Garden section shortly before 11 a.m.
The 33-year-old woman, who Philadelphia Police said was visiting from out of town, suffered multiple injuries during the daylight attack, which occurred as locals and tourists headed to New Year's Day events throughout the city.
The suspect in the attack choked the woman until she lost consciousness, investigators said. The woman awoke between two parked cars with the suspect on top of her demanding she remove the battery from her iPhone, which cannot be done, investigators said.
Investigators brought Woodson in for questioning at the department's Special Victims Unit in Hunting Park after the incident and eventually charged him with the beating and rape.
Court records from the Pittsburgh area show Woodson spent four months in jail after being charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness and harassment from an incident last May. He posted bail in September and that case was pending a jury trial.
