A Washington, D.C. man has been convicted on charges for the heinous crimes of kidnapping, armed robbery, and the multiple rapes of a Maryland woman. Mark A. Blue, 34, could now face life behind bars following a jury verdict handed down in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's office.
During a December 2018 crime spree, Blue and an accomplice preyed upon the victim as she walked home in Prince Georges County, MD, forcing her into a vehicle under the threat of death he then covered her eyes with her shirt, hindering any chance of escape and sexually assaulted her, the sentencing is set for June 14 by Judge Carl J. Nichols. The aftermath of the kidnapping saw Blue driving the woman to Southeast Washington, D.C., where he extorted her ATM details, while his co-conspirator siphoned her account, following which Blue once again violated her before the two men abandoned her naked in an alley, as per official court documents.
The investigation that led to Blue's arrest was a coordinated effort between the FBI's Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince Georges County Police Department, a collaboration crucial for the prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Rachel Forman, along with Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson. The prosecution team also benefited from the support of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit, especially Veronica Vaughn, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart Allen, Nicholas Miranda, and Jessica Wash.
Prior to this conviction, Blue had been on supervised release following a 2013 armed robbery and his criminal tenure came to an abrupt halt when he fled to North Carolina, attempting escape after quitting his job two days after his crime, he was put into handcuffs on January 29, 2019, thanks to a viewer tip-off to law enforcement following his appearance on a news broadcast where he had admitted to being sought by the police for said crimes. Since his arrest, Blue has remained in custody and will now face the judicial system's full weight for his actions against a stranger who suffered an unimaginable ordeal.
