Man pleads guilty to violent St. Paul burglary, rape

Emily Baude KSTP

Deonte Thomas (Credit: Ramsey County Jail)

A Maplewood man pled guilty on Wednesday in connection with an April burglary and sexual assault in the Macalester Groveland neighborhood.

Deonte Marquon Thomas, 34, pled guilty to one count of criminal sexual conduct and one count of first-degree burglary in exchange for 241 months (about 20 years) in prison.

A judge still needs to approve that sentence at his next court date.

Thomas has prior convictions, including dangerous weapons, theft, stolen property and domestic abuse. He initially faced up to 30 years in prison for the sexual assault and 20 years for the burglary.

A criminal complaint states that Thomas broke the glass on the door to the victim’s home at around 4:20 a.m. on April 15, and then reached through to unlock the door. The victim, awoken by the pounding on the door, asked Thomas what he wanted, then handed over her purse after he said he wanted money. However, Thomas then said, “I’m not looking for money” and attacked her, the complaint states.

According to court documents, Thomas struggled with the woman on her bathroom floor and bed, choked her until she passed out and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint when she regained consciousness.

The victim told police she thought she was going to die and “felt like she was in hell,” the complaint adds.

Eventually, Thomas ran away and the victim called police.

Security videos from the area captured Thomas near the scene at the time, court documents state, and his girlfriend confirmed a still frame from one of the videos was him. The girlfriend also told police that she’d recently found the semi-automatic handgun in Thomas’ vehicle and took it because he’s not supposed to have a firearm due to previous convictions, but she eventually returned it to him.

When he was arrested, Thomas told officers he “f***** up” and was “angry” over life circumstances. The complaint adds that he said he randomly chose the house he broke into and admitted to many of the details except for having a gun and choking the victim. Police later found a gun in his truck and two others in his girlfriend’s home, where he often stayed.

Thomas is due back in court for sentencing on Sept. 3.