Granite Falls man who held girlfriend captive, assaulted her in dorm room sentenced to 90 months in jail

By KSTP
Keanu Labatte (Credit: Ramsey County Sheriff's Office)

A Granite Falls man who was accused of holding his girlfriend captive, assaulting her, and waterboarding her in a St. Catherine University dorm room in 2023 was sentenced to 90 months in jail on Monday.

Keanu Avery Labatte, 20, was sentenced to 90 months (7.5 years) in jail after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Labatte must also stay away from the victim, who has a Domestic Abuse No Contact Order against him, and register as a sex offender for life.

Court documents show Labatte will receive credit for 16 days of time served.

Labatte pleaded guilty in July to one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in exchange for the dismissal of four other charges.

According to a criminal complaint, Labatte had come to the university in September of 2023 to visit his girlfriend of two months. The night he arrived, he saw texts, pictures, and social media information that “infuriated him,” setting off a harrowing weekend of physical and sexual abuse.

As previously reported, the victim told investigators that Labatte first took her phone away. He then forced himself on the victim after she had told Labatte she did not want to have sex, the complaint states.

Labatte became increasingly violent, strangling the victim until she was lightheaded and threatening to kill her and her family. He also insinuated he would hold a knife to her throat — an act he told the victim he had done to a past girlfriend.

The complaint describes the victim “feeling terrified to the point that she would just lay next to Labatte and not move for fear of what he would do to her.”

On Saturday, Labatte allegedly waterboarded the victim by laying her down in a bathtub, covering her face with a washcloth, and dumping water over her. The victim also recalled Labatte threatening her with a knife, “looking for the right vein [on her arm] to cut deep enough so no one could save her.”

The woman finally escaped on the morning of Sept. 10, 2023, when she convinced Labatte to let her get food from the dining hall. Labatte gave her phone back and told her to check in with him on Snapchat to ensure she wasn’t trying to get away, the complaint states. Instead, she went to campus security to report the assaults.

When police arrived to search the room, they found a folding knife in a backpack and a damp washcloth in the bathroom. The mattress had been moved to the floor, which the victim said Labatte had done so the bed wouldn’t squeak while he sexually assaulted her.

Labatte was still in the room at the time and was placed under arrest. He chose to plead the Fifth after officers read him his Miranda rights.

During a sexual assault examination, a nurse noted the victim had suffered bruises around her ear, face and neck, along with severe bodily pain.

Court records indicate Labatte was on probation at the time of the assault for violating a restraining order involving a different woman in Yellow Medicine County.

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, several resources are available to offer help. For immediate help, contact:

More than 12 million people just in the U.S. are affected by domestic violence every year, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

The organizations listed above can help connect victims to resources like safe shelter, advocacy, legal help and support groups.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline also offers tips for identifying abuse and supporting victims of abuse. CLICK HERE to see those.

Other organizations that can help include:

Minnesota also has a list of many other resources for victims of crimes that can be found HERE.