SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is putting out a call for other potential victims to come forward in a case involving a local photographer accused of sexual assault.
John Steven Lill, 48, is accused of having sex with a client, a woman in her 20s, after giving her alcohol.
Salazar said the woman told investigators the drink, which she believed was wine, made her woozy.
“To the point where she may have lost consciousness,” Salazar said. “When she came to, the next thing that she remembers is the suspect was urging her to bathe, we believe, to cover up evidence.”
Salazar said tests are being done to determine whether anything else may have been added to the drink.
The woman told investigators the incident happened at Lill’s home outside Boerne this past Saturday.
She told them she hired Lill to take boudoir-style photos of her.
Salazar said the woman told investigators she arrived at Lill’s home with a friend, but Lill sent that person away, saying the photo session would take a long time.
The sheriff said after the alleged attack, the woman was able to contact someone she knows, and that person then called 911.
Deputies later arrested the suspect at his home.
When questioned by investigators, Lill admitted to giving the woman wine and to having sex with her, Salazar said. “Of course, obviously, he’s claiming that this was a consensual nature. The victim states otherwise,” the sheriff said.
Although Lill was booked into jail, he has since posted bond and been released.
The photo session, Salazar said, appears to have been intended as a side job for Lill.
KSAT 12 News found out he also worked on staff as a photographer at USAA.
Salazar said there is no evidence at this point that anything happened involving the company.
Still, a spokesman for USAA said Lill was terminated immediately after the company was notified about his arrest.
Christian Bove also said USAA is cooperating fully with the criminal investigation.
In the meantime, sheriff’s investigators urge anyone who may have been a potential victim to call them at 210-335-6000.