Teen's alleged killer hit with rape charge

On what would have been Ebony Dorsey's 15th birthday, prosecutors yesterday added a felony charge of rape to a laundry list of charges already facing Mark O'Donnell, Ebony's alleged killer.

Now, O'Donnell will face charges of murder, indecent assault, abuse of corpse and various drug charges to go along with the newly added rape charge.

O'Donnell, protected by a bulletproof vest, waived his preliminary hearing before District Court Judge Francis J. Bernhardt, and was remanded to Montgomery County Prison.

Danielle Cattie, Ebony's mother, refused to comment to reporters, but O'Donnell's lawyer, Thomas Egan III, confirmed the charges while speaking about the mental health of his client.

"Mr. O'Donnell did try to harm himself sometime last week, and because of that he is still staying in the medical unit of the Montgomery County facility in Eagleville," Egan said.

He took issue with the spectacle of O'Donnell's being led to court in a protective vest.

"It's unusual for a defendant to be brought in wearing a bulletproof vest, but he was brought in with about 10 to 15 officers and wearing a vest," Egan said.

"So I'm just speculating, but the detectives may have received some information that there may have been threats on his life."

Montgomery County Deputy District Attorney Kevin Steele couldn't be reached for comment on the vest and extra protection by the cops.

O'Donnell is accused of strangling and sexually abusing Ebony sometime early on Dec. 7. The arrest affidavit recounts that Ebony was baby-sitting O'Donnell's infant daughter at his residence while O'Donnell was smoking crack with Ebony's mother at her home.

O'Donnell allegedly assaulted and killed Ebony after returning from the cocaine binge. He then stuffed her body into a plastic container, and drove that container to a relative's house, the affidavit states.

O'Donnell claimed that he had caught Ebony molesting his daughter and that that's what sent him into his rage.

Cattie responded by labeling O'Donnell a "monster." *