Man convicted by Fulton County jury for 2022 rape, kidnapping gets life in prison

A Fulton County jury convicted a man of rape and kidnapping, among other charges, and now the man will spend decades in prison.

Curtis Patrick, 40, was charged with seven counts from a 2022 kidnapping and sexual assault case.

According to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, Atlanta police officers were sent to a woman found naked and knocking on doors for help in October 2022.

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The DA’s office said the woman told police she’d been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a man, who then stole her car and drove away.

After midnight that same night, she said she was leaving an event when an unknown man got into her car and concealed his hand in his jacket as if he were armed.

The man, later identified as Patrick, then made her drive away before making her stop the car. That’s when he took her car keys and phone, attacking her when she tried to resist, the DA’s office said.

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“When she resisted, he struck her on the lip and threatened to kill her and dispose of her body. He subsequently took control of the vehicle and drove to a recycling center located at 215 Tudor Street, where he forced her to perform oral sex and raped her after falsely claiming to have two pistols in his jacket,” according to officials.

The DA’s office said the victim fought back while she was being assaulted and tried to defend herself with a pole, swinging it at Patrick.

He ordered her out of the vehicle and while she was holding the door handle, Patrick “sped off,” dragging her along until she was thrown off during a sharp turn.

The DA’s office said the woman lost consciousness briefly before getting up, wearing only a pair of sandals, and started banging on doors until someone called the police.

“She sustained abrasions and lacerations from her scalp to her toes and was eventually admitted to the burn unit with friction burns covering 9% of her body, spending seven days in the Grady ICU,” the DA’s office said.

Patrick’s sister saw a news broadcast about the victim’s car and recognized her brother in the surveillance video. She called the police, leading to his arrest.

The DA’s office said he was DNA tested and matched to the crime.

“This was a chilling crime involving a violent sexual assault, where the victim bravely fought back, aiding in securing a conviction,” District Attorney Fani T. Willis said. “I am relieved that the defendant will spend the rest of his life behind bars, unable to harm anyone else.”

After his conviction for rape, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated sodomy, robbery by force, sexual battery, and battery, Patrick will serve a life sentence without parole, plus 21 years in prison.

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