A Knox County judge on Friday, Feb. 20, sentenced 29-year-old Deangelo Malik Rogers to 22 years in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury convicted him of aggravated rape, aggravated assault, and assault. Criminal Court Judge Emily Abbott imposed the sentence following a four-day trial that wrapped up in December. Prosecutors told the court the violence began at the victim’s apartment and continued the next morning in a store parking lot and on the interstate.
The 22-year term carries no chance of early release, according to reporting from WBIR. During the trial, prosecutors said Rogers faced the statutory maximum on the aggravated rape count, and jurors returned guilty verdicts on multiple charges after testimony from the victim and other witnesses.
Prosecutors' Account Of What Happened
As outlined by the Knox County District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors said that on Feb. 24, 2023, Rogers went to his ex‑fiancée’s apartment off Western Avenue and raped her despite her repeated refusals while allegedly armed with a handgun. According to the DA’s release, the next morning, the victim told Rogers she needed to go to Walmart and tried to get away, but he followed her to the store, got into her car, and struck and strangled her before she managed to escape and call 911.
Sentence And Legal Context
The DA’s office noted that aggravated rape is a Class A felony under Tennessee law, punishable by 15 to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole, which puts Rogers’ 22-year sentence within that statutory range. In a statement included in the DA’s press release, District Attorney General Charme Allen said, “The judge and jury believed this victim who came forward to testify and hold her abuser accountable.” Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Leah Graves and other staff assisted in the prosecution.
Rogers will serve his sentence in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Corrections. According to the DA’s office and court records, these are the primary public sources for details of the case, while the DA’s December release and local reporting provide the court’s account of the evidence jurors heard at trial.
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