A St. Paul man allegedly confessed to raping his ex-girlfriend in a handwritten letter sent to the woman for her to "do with it what you will," according to charges filed Thursday.

The letter, begins, "I Nicholas Leonetti in mid-January raped [woman's name]," according to a criminal complaint in Ramsey County district court. "It was a mistake that got carried out of hand and not a day goes by where I don't live with this regret."

Nicholas V. Leonetti, 32, is charged with one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

According to the complaint: The woman reported the rape to White Bear Lake police on April 24. She told authorities that Leonetti was at her apartment in January and the two of them got intimate. He allegedly became aggressive and held her wrists down. She tried to pull away and told him to stop, but he allegedly raped her for 10 to 15 minutes.

The incident led to their break up, the woman said, and the two of them argued about it several times via text message.

On April 24, the woman told Leonetti to turn himself in.

"That's the demon I am wrestling with," he responded, according to the complaint. "One way or the other I am going to pay for what I did to you …"

On April 30, the woman told police she received an e-mail from Leonetti in which he wrote, "I finally did it, I feel it was the only way to pay for what I have done to you. I sent you a confession through U.S. mail … please read it and do with it what you will."

Leonetti was arrested. His interview with police May 1 was terminated when he asked for an attorney.

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