West Point - The warning attached to Lonnie A. Story's computer screen was accusatory and brief.
"You can't get away with this," the anonymous letter read, according to testimony in Story's pretrial rape investigation, which wrapped up yesterday.
"You will not graduate from West Point. You will not be an officer."
Prosecutors haven't confirmed the letter's contents, reportedly written by friends of a former cadet who has accused Story of sexual assault. One cadet who testified Thursday said the letter has been lost.
But if Story, now a senior at the U.S. Military Academy, is found guilty of two counts of rape - the latest in a string of sexual assault cases to sting the nation's service academies - the message could serve as a dire prediction.
During two days of testimony, a military lawyer considered evidence against Story, 22, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., to determine if the case will go to a court-martial. If convicted, Story faces discharge from the Army and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Government prosecutors say that on two occasions, first on Jan. 22, 2005, in a rented cabin in Fishkill, and then in Manhattan on Oct. 23, 2005, Story drank with, then raped, women who were once his classmates at the academy.
The woman in the January case had been invited by Story to attend a formal banquet at West Point, then spent the night with him and others at the Fishkill cabin. The woman in the October incident had invited Story to an overnight 21st-birthday party in New York City.
Neither victim was a cadet at West Point when the alleged attacks occurred. They did not attend the hearings this week.
Defense lawyers have not disputed claims that their client was drinking before the incidents. Instead, questioning centered on whether the sex acts were consensual.
Both women initially questioned whether the encounters constituted rape and whether they should report them, according to investigators and friends.
David P. Sheldon, a Washington, D.C., lawyer representing Story, said he is "confident that at the end of the day, Cadet Story will be exonerated."
But in closing remarks, government prosecutors remained resolute.
"The accused deserves no greater rights or protection because he is a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy," Capt. Peter W. Wilson said. "Evidence proves he is a rapist and must be dealt with accordingly."
A decision on whether to proceed with a court-martial could take weeks.
