Man who broke into woman's home and sexually assaulted her is sentenced to 20 years in prison

A man who broke into a woman's home in St. Paul and sexually assaulted her was sentenced to just over 20 years (241 months) in prison on Tuesday.

Deonte Thomas, 34, received 14 years (172 months) for the first-degree sexual abuse charge and five years (69 months) for the first-degree burglary charge. The two sentences will run consecutively and he will be eligible for parole after 10 years. Court records show he has already received credit for 131 days served.

One charge of illegal possession of weapons was dropped at the time of sentencing.

Thomas must also register as a robbery offender for life. He pleaded guilty in July.

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As previously reported, early in the morning of April 15, Thomas broke the glass on the door to the victim's home and then reached through to unlock the door. The victim, who was awakened by the knock on the door, asked Thomas what he wanted and then handed her purse after saying he wanted money. However, Thomas then said, “I'm not looking for money” and attacked her, the complaint states.

According to court documents, Thomas struggled with the woman on the bathroom floor and in bed, choking her until she lost consciousness and assaulting her at gunpoint when she regained consciousness.

Surveillance cameras in the area captured Thomas near the crime scene at the time, and his girlfriend confirmed that he was seen in a still from one of the videos.

When he was arrested, Thomas reportedly admitted many details of the case, except that he had a gun and strangled the victim.