PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The man who attacked a woman with a knife and then raped her inside her apartment will spend the next 20 years in prison.
Sean Leon Lacy, Jr., 30, pled no contest to one count each of first-degree rape and first-degree unlawful sexual penetration. At his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Lacy asked Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Eric J. Bergstrom to toss out the change of plea because Lacy felt he had better luck taking the case to trial.
Bergstrom rejected the motion and said that after two settlement conferences, it was clear Lacy made his change of plea knowingly and intelligently. Bergstrom surmised that Lacy was getting cold feet knowing that he’d be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Lacy, wearing a blue inmate’s outfit, spoke nearly inaudibly when addressing the judge.
The investigation started on April 30, 2017 when police responded to reports of a sexual assault that occurred near Northeast 122nd Avenue and East Burnside. When police got on scene, they found two men holding Lacy on the ground.
Detectives spoke with the victim who told them that she was home and noticed her front door was open. The woman closed the door and started to cook a meal. While cooking, the woman told police she went to her pantry door and tried to open it. The door appeared to be locked. The woman told police that she thought that was unusual because there was no lock on the door.
All of the sudden, the woman reported, Lacy burst out of the pantry and attacked her with a knife. She told police that Lacy grabbed her by the neck and pulled her into the bathroom.
The woman thought she was being robbed so she started offering Lacy money but he said, “Quiet. Do whatever I say to you,” according to court documents.
Lacy was described as having a “wild” look on his face during the attack.
Lacy, when questioned by police, denied the attack. He claimed that he was being mugged by two men when police showed up.
Police said the victim’s father came up shortly after the attack and found the meal his daughter was making burning. The father went to the bathroom to check on his daughter and that’s when Lacy ran out.
As part of his plea agreement, Lacy will only receive credit for time already served while in custody. He was arrested on May 1, 2017.
The victim was not in court for Wednesday’s sentencing but Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney David M. Hannon told the court that she still has nightmares after what happened.
“She hopes that with this sentence, that she will find closure…and find peace and security,” Hannon said.
Lacy declined to make any statement when given an opportunity by the judge.