By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 21-year-old Stillwater man accused of sexually assaulting a vulnerable adult with intellectual disabilities at Sanborn Lake has been ordered to appear in court on April 2 with an attorney for arraignment on a two-count felony charge.
If convicted of first-degree rape and sexual battery of a 20-year-old woman incapable of giving legal consent, Ali Cayden Al Matairi, could be sentenced to as much as 25 years in prison. Al Matairi remains free on $25,000 bond with an order to have no contact with the woman, court records show.
An investigation began on Sept. 30, 2024, when the woman’s parents reported to the Oklahoma State University Police Department that their daughter, who was involved in a transitional program at the university for intellectually disabled individuals, had been sexually assaulted, an affidavit alleged.
“It was reported Al Matairi picked (the woman) up from her dorm room on campus at approximately 5 pm on Sept. 30, 2024, and took her to a secluded location at a lake. (The woman) left her cell phone and her Apple watch at her dorm, so her location was not known. She told officers that Al Matairi picked her up, and she believed he was taking her to a fishing spot for a hike,” the affidavit alleged.
Her parents “reported they located messages on (their daughter’s) phone between her and Al Matairi, approximately one week prior to the sexual assault. They stated they also found a screenshot in (her) Facebook Messenger account indicating Al Matairi wanted to have sex with (her). They reported (she) did not know what this meant and was upset by the message.
“The parents made efforts to remove Al Matairi’s phone number from (her) phone and delete him from her social media, fearing for their daughter’s safety and well-being,” the affidavit alleged.
After their daughter had an examination at the Stillwater Medical Center, OSU Investigator Kyle McCool determined, with the woman and her parents’ help, that “the sexual assault occurred at Sanborn Lake within the jurisdiction of the Stillwater Police Department,” SPD Detective Rachel Bruce alleged in her affidavit.
During an interview at the Saville Center on Oct. 25, 2024, “It was clear (she) had difficulty understanding information and articulating herself. However, she was able to tell the forensic interviewer what occurred at the lake. (She) reported ‘Ali’ had texted her and had talked about sex, prior to going on a ‘date’ with him. On the way to the lake, (she) stated Al Matairi talked to her about getting married and getting her pregnant,
“(She) told the interviewer that she told Al Matairi ‘no’ and that she did not like him because he was a ‘touchy’ person. (She) said Al Matairi told her it hurt his feelings that she did not have feelings or a connection with him. (She) remarked, ‘I don’t have connections or feelings for strangers.
“She also told the interviewer that he also had a gun in his possession while he was with her. She denied he overtly threatened her with the gun, but mentioned the presence of a handgun, which he removed from his pocket and placed in his vehicle. The mere presence of a gun made an impact on (her) to the point she mentioned it without prompting in the interview,” the affidavit alleged.
Based on information provided by the woman, the Stillwater police detective located surveillance video from Sept. 30, 2024, at a convenience store that supported details about the time she spent with Al Matairi, the affidavit alleged. When Al Matairi was stopped by Stillwater police for a minor traffic violation on Oct. 29, 2024, it appeared he was driving the same vehicle, the affidavit alleged.
When the detective watched the officer’s body-worn camera video of that interaction, “I observed Al Matairi to be a normal functioning adult male. He did not appear to have any apparent or profound intellectual disabilities, like the victim. During this investigation, I made telephone contact with Al Matairi concerning this case and arranged an interview with him. He failed to show up for the interview,” the detective alleged in her affidavit.
