Man Who Raped Unconscious 18-Year-Old In Woods Sentenced: Prosecutor

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A 30-year-old Forest Hill man has been sentenced for the rape of an 18-year-old who he left naked in the woods.

Evidence presented in trial showed Kareem Anthony Parker met the teen on Aug. 6, 2023, in the woods behind her family home near the Rock Spring Swim Club in Bel Air. The victim and Parker had been communicating on Instagram for a few weeks before the rape, prosecutors said.

Testimony revealed that when the victim tried to end the relationship in the woods that day, Parker pushed her to the ground, causing her to black out. When the teen regained consciousness, she found her pants halfway down her legs and was experiencing pain in her genital area.

She returned home, told her mother and then reported the rape to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. The victim then went to Harford Memorial Hospital for a sexual assault forensic exam and DNA evidence was collected, according to information presented in court.

A nurse described the victim's injuries as "traumatic and extensive." Harford County Sheriff’s Office investigators collected additional evidence when they executed a search warrant at Parker's apartment.

A Maryland State Police Laboratory DNA analyst processed the evidence, and found Parker's DNA on swabs taken during the victim's rape exam. Following his arrest, the defendant initially denied all sexual contact with the teen that day, but later admitted only to “fact-checking” her, a story which did not match the location or severity of injuries observed and described by the nurse, prosecutors said.

Jurors found Parker guilty of first-degree rape, second-degree rape and sexual offense in the third degree. On Aug. 8, he was sentenced to life in prison, suspend all but 50 years.

“It is my sincere hope that this significant sentence will give the victim in this case some peace in knowing that justice has been served. Today, Harford County is a safer place with Kareem Parker behind bars for decades to come," said State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey.