Bellingham man awaiting two rape trials accused of raping third woman over two-year span

A Bellingham man awaiting trial for raping two women in separate incidents has been accused of raping a third woman in February 2023.

Nurlan Levi Varner, 20, was charged May 6 in Whatcom County Superior Court with one count of third-degree rape (lack of consent), a felony. His bail in the case was set at $200,000 at his first appearance in court May 3. A pre-trial no-contact order was also put in place between Varner and the woman at that court hearing.

If Varner is released from custody, he will not be allowed to possess weapons or firearms and is not allowed to use any online dating apps, according to court records.

Details from Varner’s arraignment, which took place May 10, were not immediately available.

Varner has been in custody at the downtown Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail since his arrest April 22 for a separate court case in which he is accused of repeatedly violently sexually assaulting a woman over a three-day period in April, The Bellingham Herald previously reported.

Varner was charged April 23 with one count of second-degree rape (forcible compulsion), one count of second-degree assault and one count of felony harassment in that case. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment on May 3, according to court records.

A pre-trial no-contact order has also been put in place between Varner and the woman in that case.

Prior to charges being filed in the late April case, Varner had been out of custody since Sept. 6, 2023 on a $5,000 cash alternative bond for a September 2023 case in which he’s accused of forcibly raping a woman at his home in the 100 block of West Hemmi Road, The Herald previously reported.

Varner was charged Sept. 5 in that case with one count of second-degree rape (forcible compulsion), a felony. He pleaded not guilty to the charge Sept. 15. A pre-trial no-contact order was also put in place between Varner and the woman in that case, court documents show.

In the new case, Varner is accused of raping a woman in February 2023 after they met on an online dating app, the court records state.

David Nelson, Varner’s defense attorney for the Sept. 2023 and April 2024 cases, said Monday that he has no comment at this time “other than (Varner) has entered pleas of not guilty, and I fully expect him to enter a plea of not guilty on the third matter (but I am not his attorney on that case at this time).” Nelson has not been retained as Varner’s defense attorney in the most recent case.

It’s unclear at this time whether a defense attorney will be appointed at public expense for Varner in the third case, or if he will retain his own counsel.

The Herald has reached out to the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for comment.

Assault reported

On April 23, a 22-year-old woman reported to the Lynden Police Department that Varner sexually assaulted her in late February 2023 after she repeatedly told him no, according to court records.

The woman told Lynden police she and Varner met on Tinder, an online dating app, and they later realized they knew each other through mutual family friends. The two exchanged phone numbers and began getting to know one another, court records state.

The woman told police that on Feb. 28, 2023, she was having mechanical issues with her car and asked Varner to help her. The pair took the vehicle to an automotive shop in Lynden. While mechanics were working on the vehicle, the woman told police she and Varner went to Varner’s parents’ house to visit.

Once her car was finished, she and Varner picked it up, and he then invited her to his home in the 1700 block of Valmont Street in Lynden to watch a movie, court records state.

The woman told police she and Varner were watching a movie together and kissing when Varner began trying to remove her belt on her jeans. The woman said she told Varner “she did not want to have sex with him,” but that Varner continued trying to remove her belt, court documents state.

The woman told police she was able to get away from Varner long enough to buckle her belt, but that Varner then began undoing it again and eventually raped her.

The woman told police Varner later came to her house and they got into an argument. She said Varner refused to leave her house and spent the night, but that nothing physical happened between them.

The woman said she and Varner never hung out again after that.

The woman told police she did not initially report the sexual assault in part because she had been in a longterm toxic relationship just prior to meeting Varner. Following news of Varner’s recent arrests for rape, the woman told police “she felt she should come forward, too,” according to court documents.

Varner declined to speak to police about his interactions with the woman and said he wished to speak with his lawyer, the records show.

Resources

▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org

Brigid Collins Family Support Center professionals are on-call between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer questions about children, families, abuse prevention or treatment at (360) 734-4616.

▪ Child Protective Services: Washington state hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, 866-829-2153.

▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.

▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.

▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/

▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.

▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.

If you or a child is in immediate danger, call 911 and make a report to law enforcement.

To report child abuse or neglect call 1-866-END HARM.