A Buncombe County judge sentenced 25-year-old Malik Keanu Ronshun Thompson to consecutive active prison terms totaling 96 to 236 months this month after he pleaded guilty to raping a 15-year-old girl he connected with through Snapchat. Thompson had fled North Carolina after the assault and was ultimately tracked down by FBI agents in Cincinnati, Ohio, before being extradited back to face charges.
How the Meeting Turned Into an Assault
Superior Court Judge Alan Z. Thornburg handed down the sentence, which places Thompson in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, according to 828newsNOW. Investigators say Thompson connected with the victim using the Snapchat username “free carts 4 head” before picking her up, per the outlet's reporting. According to WLOS, Thompson first drove the teen to a hotel on Hendersonville Road, but a hotel manager refused to rent him a room. He then drove her to an apartment complex parking lot, where WLOS reports he sexually assaulted her, overcoming her physical resistance and verbal refusals by threatening her and using force.
The victim reported the assault afterward, WLOS reports. A forensic medical exam recovered DNA matching Thompson, according to the outlet's account of the case.
A Screenshot From Inside the Car Cracked the Case
Asheville Police Department officers identified Thompson after analyzing a video screenshot taken inside his vehicle during the encounter, the same 828newsNOW report states. WLOS adds that the FBI separately analyzed historical cellular location data showing Thompson's phone and the victim's phone traveled together to every location she described. The case also involved the screenshot, cellular location data and DNA evidence.
After the assault, Thompson left North Carolina and was later captured by FBI agents in Cincinnati, Ohio, before being extradited and booked into Buncombe County in March 2024 under a $500,000 secured bond, according to Buncombe County Mugshots Zone records. The Buncombe County District Attorney's Office said the conviction was the product of a multi-agency effort involving the Asheville Police Department, the FBI, and the North Carolina State Crime Lab, the same account notes.
From Statutory Rape Charges to a Negotiated Plea
Thompson was originally charged with statutory rape and statutory sex offense involving a 15-year-old victim, WLOS reports, which under North Carolina law would have constituted Class B1 felonies. He ultimately pleaded guilty to reduced Class C felony charges of second-degree forcible rape and second-degree forcible sex offense, offenses classified as Class C felonies under guidance published by the North Carolina General Assembly. The Buncombe County District Attorney's Office accepted the guilty pleas to reduced charges only after consulting with the victim and her family, per WLOS.
Thompson received two consecutive active prison terms of 48 to 118 months each, WLOS reports, for a combined minimum of 96 months and maximum of 236 months. He must also comply with a permanent judicial no-contact order barring him from any contact with the victim, according to the outlet.
Lifetime Registration and Restrictions Ahead
Thompson was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, WLOS reports. Under North Carolina General Statutes § 14-208.6A and § 14-208.7, that designation requires him to verify his address in person with the local sheriff every 90 days and bars him from living within 1,000 feet of any school or child care facility, according to guidance published by Martine Law.
The case adds to a steady caseload of sexual assault prosecutions moving through Buncombe County courts. Statewide, rape rates fell 2.1% that year even as national victim advocacy statistics compiled by Our VOICE indicate roughly 60% of sexual assaults nationally are never reported to police.
Thompson's case follows an arrest in Buncombe County on statutory sex offense and indecent liberties charges.
