Charges: Man selected St. Paul house at random to break into, raped woman at gunpoint

A 35-year-old Maplewood man who is accused of raping at gunpoint after breaking into her St. Paul home has been charged.

Deonte Marquon Thomas was arrested early Thursday morning in connection to the April 15 incident, which happened around 4:20 a.m. on the 300 block of Snelling Avenue South in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood.

According to the criminal complaint, officers found the victim sitting on her front steps and visibly upset, Authorities were advised the woman had just been raped.

The victim said she was asleep in her bedroom when she heard pounding on the side door of her residence. She said she witnessed a man — later identified as Thomas — break the glass on the door and reach through to unlock it.

The woman asked Thomas what he wanted, and he replied "by wanting to know where her money was at." The victim handed Thomas her purse and he took an unknown amount of cash. He then told her, "I'm not looking for money," and physically assaulted her.

Moments after a struggle on the floor, Thomas allegedly pulled out a semi-automatic handgun from his pants pocket and pointed it at the woman as he proceeded to rape her, charges say.

The victim told police she was strangled to the point of unconsciousness during the assault. She said she bit Thomas "as hard as she could" on his right arm during a struggle for the gun.

A sexual assault examination was conducted and provided to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Results remain outstanding as of Friday.

Investigators collected residential security footage in the neighborhood that identified the pickup truck's license plate Thomas was driving at the time. Another video captured Thomas walking on the victim's property. The victim, along with Thomas' girlfriend, was able to identify him, the complaint states.

Following Thomas' arrest, he opted to waive his legal rights and speak with police. He said he broke into the victim's home using a rock to break a window.

Thomas told investigators his reasoning was due to being "frustrated" and "angry" over his life circumstances. He said he was driving around the morning of the incident and randomly selected a house to break into.

He admitted in the interview that he "violated someone's personal space," further stating he sexually assaulted the woman. However, he denied choking her and using a gun during the assault, but admitted to possessing the gun in his truck.

Thomas admitted to using cocaine prior to the assault, with the victim adding that Thomas smelled of alcohol and body odor, per the complaint.

A search warrant executed on Thomas' truck found the gun in question with a magazine of six rounds found in the glovebox. During a search of his home, two more firearms were found. Additionally, another gun was found in Thomas' girlfriend's car and her home.

Due to past convictions, Thomas is not allowed to possess firearms.

According to court records, Thomas has been previously been convicted of domestic abuse in 2020; receiving stolen property in 2009; and theft in 2008.

"Each of us should expect to be safe in our own homes, free from the violence that transpired in our community this past week. I want to thank the sexual assault investigators from the Saint Paul Police Department for their tireless and quick work. We will do everything in our power to bring justice to the victim and our community in this case," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement.

Thomas is charged with one count each of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct, 1st-degree burglary and illegal possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces up to 51 years in prison and a $78,000 fine. Thomas made his first court appearance Friday afternoon.