DNA leads police to man in 2000 sexual assault of teen girl in Phoenix, court records say
After 23 years, Phoenix police arrested a man in connection with a sexual assault case where a then-17-year-old girl was beaten and had a stun gun used on her, according to court documents.
Brian Eastwood, 59, was arrested on July 12 after DNA linked him to the 2000 crime near East Illini Street, court documents say.
Court documents state that on March 14, 2000, the 17-year-old victim reported the assault to officers after a witness called police and said she had seen the girl climb up the side of a highway in Phoenix dressed only in a shirt, with her wrists loosely tied together.
When officers arrived, the girl told them she had agreed to perform a sex act on a man for money and that during the interaction, he began beating her and used a stun gun on her, according to court documents.
A medical examination showed she had about 50 stun gun hits to various areas of her body, as well as noticeable ligature marks and multiple cuts.
Detectives continued to investigate the case through follow-ups with the victim and the reporting witness, but it wouldn't be until 2005 that a request was put in to process and analyze the sexual assault kit.
Ten years later, in December 2015, the Phoenix lab entered a supplement stating that it had found a DNA match obtained from the physical evidence and a profile obtained "from a known offender," court documents state.
Then in May 2023, investigators contacted the victim, now living in a different state, and told them that the suspect had been identified. Court documents said the potential closure brought her to tears.
The victim was later able to identify Eastwood through a black and white photo of him from 2002 presented by police and on July 12 Eastwood was arrested without incident, court documents state.
Prior to being read his Miranda rights, Eastwood told investigators that he did not remember anything from 23 years ago and that he did not sexually assault anyone, later adding that he was rich and married back in 2000 and thinks that someone "might still think that he is still rich and probably wants money from him," according to court documents.
Court documents list Eastwood as having prior arrests for sexual assault, transportation for prostitution, as well as weapon and drug charges.
Eastwood was booked into jail on a $350,000 bond and faces two counts of sexual assault.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Records: DNA links man to 2000 sexual assault of teen in Phoenix
