A 29-year-old St. Louis man is facing burglary and sodomy charges after police say he broke into an elderly woman's home not once, but twice, seven weeks apart, sexually assaulting her both times. Maurio Thomas is accused of entering the woman's home through a bedroom window during the second break-in and leaving through the front door, with a sexual assault kit completed at an area hospital afterward.
According to STLtoday.com, prosecutors have charged Thomas with two counts of burglary and two counts of sodomy or attempted sodomy. The outlet gives the woman's address as the 6300 block of Louisiana Avenue. The ArcGIS StoryMaps source describes the Arlington Grove subdivision as dating to 1868.
The first break-in happened in mid-August, according to the police account cited in the report. The woman told police she woke up to find a pillow covering her face and a man on top of her, and Thomas allegedly sexually assaulted her before fleeing the residence. She gave police a description of the man, the report states.
Fingerprints and a Missing Window Pane
After the first attack, the woman reported finding a glass window pane removed from another bedroom in her home. Fingerprints were found on the pane, per the same account. Investigators also collected DNA evidence at an area hospital that tied Thomas to the assault.
Nearly two months later, the woman identified Thomas to police as the same man after a second attack. A trash can was found beneath the bedroom window after the second break-in, and a second sexual assault kit was completed at an area hospital following that attack.
Thomas was questioned about the assaults he's accused of committing during both break-ins. He is currently being held without bond.
What Missouri Law Says About the Charges
Thomas faces first-degree sodomy charges under Missouri Revised Statutes § 566.060, an unclassified felony punishable by five to 30 years or life in prison. A person found guilty of first-degree sodomy or an attempt cannot receive a suspended imposition or execution of sentence, per Justia Law. The burglary counts fall under § 569.160, a Class B felony involving unlawful entry into a structure while another person is present inside, according to FindLaw.
Part of a Troubling Pattern in St. Louis
This case adds to a string of recent attacks on elderly St. Louis residents that Hoodline has covered in detail. Two days earlier, Hoodline reported that a St. Louis man was sentenced to 15 years after breaking into a 74-year-old woman's home and assaulting her.
Thomas remains presumed innocent as the case proceeds.
