A University of South Carolina (USC) graduate student is being accused of drugging and sexually assaulting three different women from 2021 to 2024.
Police are now investigating the case in search of any additional possible victims of the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Chinese national Sizhe Weng. He was arrested on Aug. 28, said police at a news conference on Wednesday outside the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters.
USC Grad Student Accused of Sexual Assault
The USC doctoral graduate, who is also known by the first name Steven, has been charged with one felony count of forcible rape, two felony counts of sodomy by controlled substance or anesthesia, one felony count of rape by controlled substance, and four felony counts of sexual penetration by controlled substance or anesthesia.
Weng has pleaded not guilty and is set to return to a downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Jan. 14, 2026. There is also a date scheduled to be set after that for a hearing to determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to allow the defendant's case to proceed to trial, according to ABC7.
The USC graduate is being accused of sexually assaulting three women after allegedly placing incapacitating drugs in their food and/or drinks. The incident reportedly occurred between 2021 and 2024 while he was still a doctoral student at the university.
The investigation into the case began in January this year after law enforcement authorities received a tip from German officials. Investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the German Federal Criminal Police are cooperating in the investigation.
Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton called out to any person who may have had any kind of contact with the defendant or is linked ot him through any other ways or means to be interviewed by Robbery Homicide detectives, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Drugging His Victims
Despite the case, Hamilton did not specify the drugs that were supposedly used by the defendant. However, he did say that they rendered the victims physically unable to respond, and were similar to the date rape drug commonly known as roofie.
Authorities said that on top of using narcotics to immobilize his victims, the graduate student allegedly made use of "various means." Hamilton explained that they recovered evidence at the suspect's residence that corroborated his involvement in drug-facilitated sexual assaults of several victims.
Hamilton also urged other potential victims of the defendant to come forward, saying that it was understandable they would fear for themselves because they could be re-victimized. However, he reassured them that they have no plans to let Weng out of their custody anytime soon, as per NBC Los Angeles.
