Victim faces rape suspect in Marion courtroom

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — An accused serial rapist faced one of his accusers Tuesday morning in a Marion County courtroom.

Michael Frye was charged in three separate attacks between July and October 2011.

The victim in the case is a 43-year-old mother of four and grandmother of five, who prosecutors said was kidnapped, beaten and forced to perform oral sex last October in Ocala.

Police said Frye was following the victim as she walked toward her Ocala home, forced her into a van he was driving and then drove to a secluded area and then assaulted her.

"He started beating me, he started just punching me, just wherever he could grab, and kept on calling me names like, 'Whore,'" the victim said on the stand.

Prosecutors say during the assault, she managed to escape by slashing Frye with his own box cutter and running for her life.

The victim also described tattoos that match Frye's.

Prosecutors said they have DNA evidence: Frye's blood on the victim's arm.

The defense insisted, however, that the sex was consensual.

"We’re not going to dispute though, that Mr. Frye and miss (name withheld) had an interlude that afternoon,” said defense attorney Jack Nugent.

The defense insists it was sex for money, not rape.

Frye faces life in prison if convicted, and he faces more trials for the alleged attacks on the other victims.

WFTV