Raju Tamang

A Lawrence man accused of trying to murder a woman after she found him hiding in her home will face a trial next spring after entering a plea on Tuesday.

Raju Tamang, 30, pleaded not guilty in Douglas County District Court to three felony charges related to the incident. According to an amended complaint filed on Dec. 18, Tamang is charged with attempted murder in the first degree, attempted rape and aggravated burglary.

Judge Kay Huff scheduled the case for a weeklong trial beginning Monday, April 6, 2020.

According to an arrest affidavit filed in the case:

Tamang is originally from Nepal and for several years lived in the basement of the woman’s home until she kicked him out. On Sept. 13, Tamang gained access to the woman’s house and hid in the basement until she found him.

After an argument, Tamang allegedly attacked the woman, who tried to defend herself by poking and scratching him with keys in her hand. Tamang allegedly began kissing and groping the woman and removing her clothes.

At one point, Tamang put his hands around the woman’s throat and began to strangle her for about a minute, she said. She said he also attempted to use a phone charging cord to strangle her, but she was able to prevent him from doing so.

Suddenly, the woman said, Tamang stopped attacking her and became extremely remorseful. He made a comment about wanting to kill himself, and she texted one of his family members to come over because she was concerned he’d hurt himself if she called 911. Then she texted Tamang’s therapist, who called 911.

While investigating, police found Tamang had a small gold key. The woman told police it belonged to her house, and she believed Tamang had stolen it.

Tamang was arrested at 11:05 p.m. Sept. 13 and was charged the following Monday with attempted first-degree murder and attempted rape, both high-severity felonies.

As of Tuesday, Tamang was being held in the Douglas County Jail. The Journal-World previously reported he was being held on a $500,000 cash or surety bond and he also has a hold from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.