Photographer Arrested Following Brutal Attack on Female Cosplayer (Updated)
An arrest has been made after an underage, female cosplayer was found bloodied and unconscious during her trip to San Diego Comic-Con 2014.
UPDATE: The underage cosplayer was found not to be the victim of an attack. Based on statements from the San Diego Harbor Police Department, the girl's injuries were likely from the result of a fall, Polygon reports. Police have reviewed footage from the hotel's surveillance cameras to come to this conclusion. This coincides with the original story's claims that she was found unconscious and bloody by the hotel pool.
"Her injuries, and physical evidence at the scene, were consistent with a fall from the distance of approximately six feet," a police statement reads.
Justin Kailor's charges remain unaffected by this information. Since his charges involve interactions with a minor, the San Diego Harbor PD have announced they will not release any further information about the incident.
Original Story: Polygon reports that Justin Kailor, a 29-year-old cosplay photographer, was arrested on the morning of July 27 in connection with the discovery of an unconscious and bloodied 17-year-old cosplayer at the San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina hotel. Kailor was thrown into the San Diego County jail that same day on the charges of sex with a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. As you can see, he was not incarcerated or being charged with assault. Police claim that the investigation is ongoing and it is unclear whether or not there is another suspect in this case. Kailor runs a Facebook page called Project Cosplay.
The victim just turned 17 on the day the morning she was found. Kailor claims that he is friends with her and brought her to San Diego Comic-Con 2014 so they both could go. Her cosplay Facebook page has nearly 2,500 likes and has been filling up with the support of her fans and the community. On July 26, she was attending SDCC dressed up as a female Roger Rabbit. She still remains in the hospital to this day.
Kailor also claims that the two did not have any kind of sexual relationship, insists they were just friends and did not know what happened to her after an argument they had. He mentioned that he and the victim had an argument about leaving to go home around midnight of July 28 in the lobby of the Marriott Marquis where she apparently went off by herself.
"I just wanted to call it a night and take her home to her parents and be on my way...," he said. "She ran off and I didn't follow. She didn't answer the phone. She was gone for so long I asked security if they had seen her."
Kailor claims that roughly an hour later, security found the cosplayer bloodied and unconscious by the hotel pool.
"When the police searched her purse it stated she was 17," Kalior said, hinting that he didn't know her age. Kalior was arrested at the scene and later released on bond. Kailor mentioned that he was with hotel security when they heard she was found.
The victim was taken to a local ICU and was treated for skull and orbital (eye-socket) fractures. She also had other injuries, including cerebral hemorrhaging, which could result in brain damage. This news has been met with a wave of support for the victim from both the cosplaying community and fans of Comic-Con. Numerous tips were reported to the San Diego Harbor Police with the hopes of figuring out what happened late Saturday night into Sunday morning.
We here at Arcade Sushi are all cosplay enthusiasts and sincerely wish the young lady a speedy and full recovery.