A Shreveport man was found guilty Thursday, January 30, 2020, of the rape of a longtime family friend.
Dedric Deon Mitchell, 47, faces up to 25 years in prison at hard labor when he returns to face Caddo District Judge Charles Tutt March 10, 2020, for sentencing on the charge of third-degree rape. Mitchell also will have to register as a sex offender for life.
The seven-man, five-woman jury unanimously determined that early June 10, 2016, Mitchell and his victim, whom he had known at least 20 years, met at a friend’s house, where he asked the woman and her sister for a ride home. On the way, Mitchell asked to be allowed to charge up his phone in the victim’s home. She did, but when she asked Mitchell to leave, he refused and started to choke her. He then dragged her to her bedroom and raped her, then fled on foot. There also was a DNA match to evidence from the rape.
Mitchell was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kodie K. Smith and William Gaskins. He was defended by Patrick Harrington.