Jurors convict man of stranger rape in woman’s St. Cloud State dorm room

Jurors have convicted a man of raping a St. Cloud State University student he didn’t know in her dorm room.

Dipak Phayal, 21, of Fremont, Calif., was found guilty on Jan. 16 in Stearns County District Court of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, aiding and abetting first-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the attack between 2 and 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2024, in a residence hall in the 500 block of 1st Avenue S.

Accomplice Sujan Tamang, 20, of New York pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Phayal’s sentencing is scheduled for May 11, while Tamang’s is set for March 4. In the meantime, both men remain held in the Stearns County jail.

University spokesman Zach Dwyer said the men were enrolled at St. Cloud State from late August to mid-December in 2024 and did not return to the school.

According to the charges:

The student told police she was walking toward her room when two men she didn’t know pushed her into her residence, closed the door and got undressed.

The man who was restraining her got dressed and left the room, while his accomplice raped her. She said she believed the man who left was standing guard before they both left.

Police reviewed dorm lobby surveillance video that showed men matching her descriptions of the attackers. A campus public safety officer watched the video and identified the men by name.

In an initial statement to law enforcement, Phayal recalled seeing the woman stumbling in the hall. At first, he denied having sexual contact with her. He then said she came on to him, but he declined.