A St. Paul man who was tracked down by a SWAT team after DNA evidence linked him to three separate sexual assaults on the city's East Side has pleaded guilty, closing out a case that spanned more than two years and multiple law enforcement agencies. Rakai Eugene Davis admitted guilt to one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and he is scheduled to be sentenced in Ramsey County District Court on October 16.
According to CBS News, Davis was accused of carrying out three sexual assaults over roughly two years in St. Paul, each involving people he met through dating apps or websites. St. Paul Police said DNA recovered from all three assaults, citing analysis by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, matched Davis, and investigators say he forced victims into sexual acts by brandishing a knife or handgun.
The case began on May 27, 2023, when Davis, then 16 years old, met a woman through a dating app and threatened her with a knife in the 1700 block of Cottage Avenue East, as reported by FOX 9. He would not be connected to that attack until much later, after DNA evidence tied it to two more assaults committed after he had turned 18.
A Second Attack and a Crucial Piece of Evidence
The second assault happened on November 3, 2024, in the 1700 block of Clear Avenue East, authorities said. During that attack, the victim was struck with a handgun and taken into a garage. Court records reported by FOX 9 revealed the victim intentionally grabbed Davis's hands and pressed his palms against a vehicle, deliberately leaving fingerprint evidence for police to find.
A third assault occurred on December 9, 2024, in the same 1700 block of Clear Avenue East, authorities said. Davis was arrested in connection with that December incident and released on bond, according to KARE 11. It was only after that arrest that Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension DNA results connected him to the two earlier, previously unsolved assaults from May 2023 and November 2024.
Fugitive Status and a Statewide Manhunt
Once the DNA results came back, the case escalated quickly. In February 2025, St. Paul Police publicly designated the then-18-year-old Davis a “high risk” to public safety and issued a nationwide arrest warrant after the DNA matched him to all three violent assaults in the same neighborhood, per MPR News. Davis had already fled St. Paul by the time new felony charges were filed against him.
The forensic case against him was overwhelming. Charging documents indicated the probability of the recovered DNA belonging to Davis was greater than 100 billion times more likely than belonging to an unrelated individual, the same KARE 11 report noted, with samples collected from medical exams following all three incidents.
Davis's run as a fugitive ended on March 3, 2025, when a SWAT team and a multi-agency task force executed a search warrant at an apartment in the 3000 block of Maine Prairie Road in St. Cloud, according to WJON. He was taken into custody there without further incident described in reporting.
From Six Counts to a Negotiated Plea
Ramsey County prosecutors originally filed up to six counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against Davis in February 2025, covering the three separate armed incidents. Prosecutors and Davis's defense ultimately reached a negotiated plea deal in August that reduced the case to the one count of first-degree CSC and two counts of third-degree CSC to which he has now pleaded guilty.
The statutory stakes remain significant. Under Minnesota Statute § 609.342, a conviction for first-degree criminal sexual conduct carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison, according to WomensLaw.org. Under Minnesota Statute § 609.344, third-degree criminal sexual conduct carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison for each of the remaining two counts.
Resources for Survivors
Following Davis's arrest in March 2025, Ramsey County officials promoted confidential resources such as On My Terms and SOS Sexual Violence Services, the KARE 11 report noted, which allow survivors of sexual violence to access medical support and report incidents through advocates without requiring direct police contact. County programs provide 24/7 confidential advocacy for survivors in the Twin Cities metro area.
Davis's sentencing is set for October 16 in Ramsey County District Court, where a judge will determine how much of the statutory maximum exposure he will actually serve.
