DROWNING

Olympic Gold Medalist Who Rioted at Capitol Allegedly Threatened Ex-Wife With Rape

Elite swimmer Klete Keller pinned his ex-wife to the wall after their separation and asked if she had “ever heard of marital rape,” she testified in October 2020.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist who pleaded guilty last year for his role in the Capitol insurrection allegedly pinned his ex-wife against a wall after their separation, asking if she had “ever heard of marital rape.” The allegations, which swimmer Klete Keller has denied, stem from a bitter child custody trial in October 2020, the details of which were first reported Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times. Keller’s ex-partner, Cari Sherrill, testified at the trial that Keller also told her he had attempted to kill himself after taking out a life insurance policy that covered suicide, a “last resort because… he couldn’t keep a job.” Despite awarding Sherrill sole legal custody, the judge wrote that Keller was “the epitome of a ‘fun’ dad” and was a “fit and proper person to have visitation.” In December 2020, 16 days before he flew to Washington, authorities responded to a report of “custody issues” at Sherrill’s home. In a court filing, Keller allegedly became “ugly, demeaning, and threatening” after arriving for a scheduled visit and realizing that one of his sons wouldn’t leave with him. His “verbal attacks,” according to the filing, continued “throughout the weekend.”