Norfolk man faces charges in rape cases; resides in apartment where two women died

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – When police arrested Michael Nse Eyo Ebong, 43, last Friday evening outside his Hillside Avenue apartment, it was on a warrant for a rape charge stemming from May.

However, officials were already familiar with him and his Ocean View address.

Authorities in Norfolk responded to the 1200 block of Hillside Avenue for the report of an unresponsive woman on November 15, 2020. When they arrived on the scene, a 36-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say she was found in his second-floor apartment. She was later identified as 36-year-old Sheena West and determined to have died of a drug overdose that involved cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.

Nearly eight months later, on July 11, 2021, police responded to a second unresponsive woman in the 1200 block of Hillside Avenue. The 30-year-old woman, Kelsey Paton, was also pronounced dead on the scene.

She was also pronounced dead at the scene. Norfolk Police believe drugs were involved in her death, just like West.

Ebong, however, was charged with rape and abduction between the two incidents. Court documents show he was charged on May 22 and that one of his victims was mentally incapacitated or helpless.

Previously, in a Virginia Beach case from 2013, Ebong pleaded guilty to assaulting and robbing an exotic dancer he had hired after he demanded sex from her.

Court records show Ebong hired the victim for an exotic dance. The victim said he told her if they weren’t going to have sex he wanted his money back. He then took $160 from her purse.

Ebong, however, wouldn’t let her leave. She was able to get her purse back and then was able to run out of the house “with him in pursuit.”

Currently, he is jailed without bond and is due in court Monday.