Man convicted of raping a Sacramento woman who was held at knifepoint in her own home

A Sacramento County jury on Tuesday convicted a man who raped a woman in her 60s in her home earlier this year when he held her at knifepoint and threatened to kill her, prosecutors said.

Tealow Franklin Jr., 48, was found guilty of aggravated rape, assault with a deadly weapon, making criminal threats and witness intimidation, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release Wednesday.

The woman had suffered a major medical event, which affected her memory, ability to process information and mobility. Prosecutors said Franklin was aware of her condition when he went to her home in Sacramento on April 7.

Franklin entered her home, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, hit the woman on the head with the knife handle and dragged her into a bedroom, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said that Franklin then raped the woman at knifepoint, while threatening to stab and kill her. They said Franklin also threatened to kill her if she called the police.

After the rape, the woman’s daughter texted her mother to check on her. The woman told her daughter about the rape. The daughter then called the police. Franklin was arrested by Sacramento police and booked into jail the next day.

His conviction included enhancements to his charges of using a knife in the crimes, committing a crime involving great fear, assaulting a victim who was particularly vulnerable and taking advantage of a position of trust.

Franklin remained in the Sacramento County Main Jail as of Wednesday.

He is scheduled to return before Judge Satnam Rattu on October 6 for his sentencing hearing in Sacramento Superior Court.

Prosecutors said Franklin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and 4 months in prison. Deputy District Attorney Katherine Martin prosecuted the case against Franklin.