NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This week, a teenager was convicted of raping a pregnant woman in an attempted robbery.
In September 2018, police say Dantis Lakka-Lako attacked a pregnant woman in her apartment on Bell Road. He was 16 years old at the time of the crime.
Police said when the woman arrived home, she heard noises while in her bedroom, but dismissed them, thinking they were coming from outside. Shortly after, Lakka-Lako entered her bedroom armed with a knife from her kitchen.
He allegedly demanded money and told her not to run, and then took the belongings in her purse and raped her. The woman managed to hit him in the head with a bottle, causing Lakka-Lako to leave the room. Then, she jumped from her third-floor apartment to escape. She was seriously injured from the fall, however, both she and her unborn baby survived.
Lead Prosecutor General Doug Thurman called the victim "one of the bravest people [he has] ever met."
More than three years later, Lakka-Lako, who is now 19 years old, was convicted on five felony counts and one misdemeanor, including especially aggravated robbery and aggravated rape.
A sentencing hearing for Lakka-Lako will take place in mid-January 2022.
