A man found guilty of rape is sentenced in Bartow Superior Court.   Twenty-three-year-old Markal Marius Brown was arrested in 2019.  On August 29, 2024, Brown was found guilty of rape, aggravated sexual battery and kidnapping.  He was found not guilty of aggravated sexual battery and two counts of sexual battery.  On the rape charge, Brown received a Life or 40-year sentence to serve 25 years in confinement and the remainder on probation.  On the Aggravated Sexual Battery charge, he received a life or 40-year sentence to serve 25 years in confinement and the remainder on probation; this runs concurrently with count 1.

According to testimony in the case, the two had gone to the store and upon returning to the victim’s home, Brown followed the victim into the house and she allowed him to carry her upstairs to her bedroom.  He said the victim complied with several of his requests.  He said when asked if he should continue, the victim said “I don’t know.”  During a taped interview, the victim said Brown was asked to stop.  The victim read a text from Brown that stated, “I couldn’t stop, please forgive me.”  He also told an interviewer that he crossed a line.  Tune to WBHF for an interview with his mother.