JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three women connected by the same convicted rapist are speaking out about assaults they said continued to haunt them years later, following his 30-year prison sentence.
Hugh Perry, 55, was convicted in September on sexual battery charges. Now, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is searching for additional victims whom Perry may have also assaulted.
“What haunts me every day is how loud I cried, no, I begged it to stop. I thought I was going to die,” one survivor said.
Two of the cases span more than a decade. In 2013, two women, identified only as J and her best friend for privacy, reported being drugged and kidnapped by Perry.
“We were two responsible professional adults going out at 25 years old and being super safe and super cautious, and this man preyed on us, spiked our drinks,” one victim explained. The woman said Perry took them to his house, where he called a friend to join him.
According to the State Attorney’s Office (SAO), the women left the bar after a night out and woke up with significant memory loss. Surveillance video captured Perry leaving the bar with the victims, something they did not recall.
Despite completing rape kits and filing reports, their case wasn’t prosecuted at the time due to insufficient evidence. “It makes you feel like you’re not heard, like you’re not validated, like you’re not seen,” J said. “It affects your self worth, your confidence. It makes you feel like nobody believes you.”
A new victim’s courage to come forward years later finally led to Perry’s conviction. The woman, identified as AC, described how Perry stalked her before the attack in February 2022. “This man stalked me, stalked us, probably the entire evening, and followed me back to my home, and that’s where the assault took place,” she told News4JAX.
The SAO said AC woke up sore, unaware of how she got to her apartment after a concert in Jacksonville Beach. She found her clothes and bed sheet in the washer, and Perry’s burner phone number in her cell phone.
She went to the hospital, where she underwent a forensic sexual assault exam that confirmed Perry’s DNA.
The prosecution process was lengthy, with multiple trial dates set before finally proceeding. “It was a very long period working with the State Attorney’s Office,” AC said. She worked with her therapist throughout the process, preparing herself for any possible outcome.
The earlier victims, J and her best friend, were able to testify in the recent case, contributing to Perry’s conviction. For AC, the four-year journey to justice proved unexpectedly beneficial. “I’m kind of lucky that it took four years, because I don’t know if I would have been able to stand up for myself in court or speak the way that I did.”
Now, these survivors are encouraging others to come forward. “To the women out there who might also be a victim of this man, I would say you’re safe now. He’s behind bars, and he’s not going to hurt you,” AC stated.
She added that speaking out provided unexpected healing: “I gained a lot of healing that I don’t think I would have gotten if I didn’t come forward and tell people what had happened to me, and maybe they could gain some of that healing for themselves.”
If you have any information, you’re urged to call JSO at 904-630-2168.
If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault and needs help, reach out to the Women’s Center of Jacksonville’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 904-721-7273.