Man Who Raped Woman During Burglary Found Guilty

ATLANTA, GA -- A man who burglarized a woman's apartment, then assaulted her when she returned, has been convicted of aggravated sodomy and assault, attempted rape and burglary. Demarcus West, 29, was found guilty earlier late last week by a Fulton County jury.

In the morning of October 7, 2016, the 28-year-old victim left her Atlanta apartment unlocked while she walked her child to school. The victim said she was only gone for 5 to 10 minutes, but when she returned to the apartment she noticed changes in the lighting in her apartment. The victim started to enter her bathroom and attempted to push the door open. Suddenly, she felt a body behind it which prevented the door from moving. At that moment, the victim saw West in the mirror, staring at her. She immediately ran in fear, but the defendant caught her.

West dragged the victim to the floor and repeatedly punched and kicked her in the face and head. The victim attempted to fight back, but West strangled her until she almost lost consciousness while he ripped off her blouse and shorts. West then violated the victim and then jammed his fingers down her throat. West repeatedly told the victim he was going to kill her.

West pinned the woman's arms with his knees and forced her to sodomize him. After about 20 minutes of fighting with West, the victim escaped his grasp and ran onto her outside balcony where she frantically screamed for help. A neighbor called 911. The victim was so afraid of her attacker, she nearly jumped from the three-story balcony but realized it was too high and she was completely naked.

While the victim screamed for help, West ran out the front door before police arrived at the apartment. The victim did not know the defendant but gave police a description. A rape kit was administered, and ultimately West was identified through a CODIS hit that matched the DNA left on the victim’s neck and breasts. The victim later chose the defendant from a photo lineup, and Police arrested West on January 5, 2017.

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