Man Convicted Of Violent Walmart Rape

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Calling him a "monster," a judge has sentenced a man to life without parole plus 20 years in prison for the knifepoint rape of a 24-year-old woman at a Gwinnett County Walmart.

Emmanuel Brandon Dupree, 23, was convicted by a jury of rape, kidnapping and aggravated sodomy.

It was the second time his case had gone to trial. In April 2016, a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict and a mistrial was declared.

According to evidence at last week's trial, Dupree's victim had gone to the Walmart on Hwy. 29 at Lawrenceville Suwanee Road in Lawrenceville around 11 p.m. on Oct. 20, 2013. She was buying cookie dough for her job as a nanny. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app)

Dupree followed her to her car and grabbed her from behind. He put a knife to her throat and forced her into her car, then drove behind a closed nearby business and sexually assaulted her several times.

He then got away in her car, leaving the woman stranded. Dupree was arrested with his victim's car eight days later and DNA from the crime matched his. Keys to the car were found in his hotel room and his fingerprints were found on the car.

During an interview with police, Dupree initially admitted only to stealing the car. He later changed his story, saying he had offered his victim money to have sex. During his first trial, he changed the story yet again, this time saying that he had known the victim for years and they had engaged in consensual sex.

Prosecutors showed the jury video from Walmart that showed Dupree had been at the store well before his victim arrived. The jury returned its guilty verdicts after about an hour of deliberation.

During sentencing, Judge Karen E. Beyers told the victim "you encountered a monster that night." She said the life without parole plus 20 years sentence was "easy" to hand down.

According to prosecutors, most of the members of the jury stayed after they were dismissed to watch the sentencing and embraced the victim and her family after it was handed down.

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