A Kenyan national in the US is facing serious jail time over sexual assault, according to court filings.
Brian Muinde Kimithi, 19, a St. John’s University student, has been charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the reported rape of a St. Joseph woman.
The suspect, who was identified as a student and member of the campus Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in court documents, faces up to 30 years in prison for the felony charge filed in Stearns County court on Friday, January 29, 2026.
Kimithi is no longer an enrolled student at St. John’s, according to a letter that the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University President Brian Bruess sent to students and families on Saturday, January 30.
Law enforcement responded to a sexual assault report at an address on College Avenue S. in St. Joseph around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, January 27, according to the criminal complaint.
The victim, an adult woman, told investigators that she woke up to Kimithi raping her, the complaint said. She reported telling Kimithi to stop and that he began strangling her “with full force” when she tried to call for help.
The woman reported having pain in her throat and difficulty swallowing. According to the criminal complaint, investigators observed and photographed scratches and bruising to her neck and scratches to her chest, stomach, and shoulder.
Kimithi was booked into Stearns County jail at 4:40 a.m. on January 27, according to online jail records.
Stearns County Judge William Cashman, during a Jan. 29 hearing, set Kimithi’s bail at $400,000 (Sh51.6 million) with no conditions and $200,000 (Sh 25.8 million) with conditions that include him not leaving the state or contacting the woman.
Kimithi is set to appear in court again at 1:30 p.m. on February 23, 2026, for an omnibus hearing.
