Man pleads guilty to attempted rape of Weaverville hotel worker; victim testifies

ASHEVILLE – A Tennessee man charged with an attempted sex offense at a Weaverville hotel pleaded guilty to three felonies July 31.

Richard Carlton Barnhill, 30, was sentenced to serve between 80 and 108 months in N.C. prisons after pleading guilty to attempted second degree rape, first degree kidnapping, and breaking and entering with intent to terrorize. All other charges were dismissed, including assault by strangulation, assault on a female and second-degree trespassing, according to District Attorney Todd Williams.

The woman Barnhill victimized, who was 19 at the time, spoke in court July 31 about the incident, saying it was “the day I thought I was going to die.”

On March 20, 2022, the hotel staff member was cleaning room No. 207 of the Fairfield Inn in Weaverville when Barnhill entered, closed the door and stood in the room’s hallway, according to search warrant application obtained July 31 by the Citizen Times. Barnhill demanded she take off her clothes and blocked the exit with his arm when she tried to escape.

Barnhill then shoved her onto the bed where he pinned her down with his body, covering her nose and mouth with his hand, according to court proceedings. At one point of the assault, Barnhill’s fingers were in the victim’s mouth, who bit down and drew blood.

“After I was able to get on my back, he gave me just enough leeway to use my legs and I kicked him in the chest and the face,” said the woman, whom the Citizen Times is not naming because of our policy on identifying victims of sexual assault. “That kind of stood him up more for me to make a break.”

More: Local hotel worker fights off 'sketchy' man charged with attempted forcible sex offense

The woman told the Citizen Times July 31 that her co-workers had heard her screams from the elevator, and when she swung the door open to escape, the co-workers were walking up to come help her.

She said her first interaction with Barnhill was when she was coming in from a work break and she held the door open for him, thinking he was a guest.

“I have his face and expressions imprinted – they bother me in my dreams,” the victim told the Citizen Times. “I have constant memories of March 20. When he was covering my nose and mouth, I kept blacking out and could feel myself losing consciousness.”

“This selfish attack has changed our family’s life,” the victim’s mother said in court, detailing how her daughter has struggled with panic attacks and nightmares since the incident.

This incident happened a day after Barnhill was arrested by Asheville police and charged with second degree trespass at the Courtyard by Marriott Asheville Biltmore Village, according to arrest and incident reports filed by APD.

After being told the hotel was fully booked, Barnhill attempted to “hang out” in the lobby area and was asked to leave, a hotel employee previously told the Citizen Times. A woman later called the front desk to report that a man was knocking on her hotel door and saying he needed to be let in.

Barnhill will receive treatment for mental health and substance abuse from the Department of Corrections while serving his sentence, according to Judge David Strickland, from Mecklenburg County. Strickland also issued a permanent no contact order with the victim, and Barnhill will be required to register as a sex offender for a period of 30 years.

The Citizen Times reached out to Barnhill’s appointed attorney, Teal Mittelstadt, but did not immediately receive a reply.

“I’m not glad he chose me, but I’m glad he chose a girl that could end it for at least a while,” the victim stated. “And If I’m not his first victim, I really hope this can hit the right audience and if someone did have to deal with him in the past, they know he’s away for a while.”

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. News tips? Email Ryley at rober@gannett.com. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Man pleads guilty to attempted rape of Weaverville hotel worker