A 44-year-old Richmond man who sliced off his GPS ankle monitor and went on to attack two women in 2022 has been sentenced to 169 years in prison. The Richmond assault occurred three months after the Concord assault. Mark Lewis Hinton was convicted last year of kidnapping to commit rape, domestic violence, and multiple felonies tied to the sexual assault of two women, and a judge handed down the sentence last week.
According to The Mercury News, Hinton had already served an 11-year sentence for rape before he was released on parole in 2022. That September, he cut off his court-ordered GPS ankle monitor, the device meant to keep tabs on registered sex offenders under California's Jessica's Law tracking mandate, enacted through Proposition 83 and California Code of Regulations Title 15 Section 3564. Removing or disabling that device is itself a crime under California Penal Code Section 3010.10, which carries mandatory parole revocation and up to 180 days in custody for violators.
Within the same month, per the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office, Hinton raped a woman he knew casually inside a Concord hotel room, strangling and beating her during the attack. He also sexually assaulted and abused an unhoused Richmond woman he was dating, holding her at knifepoint during the assault, the DA's office reported.
Prosecutor Says Victim Believed She Would Die
Deputy District Attorney Danielle Brown prosecuted the case and told jurors that Hinton's second victim realized at some point during the ordeal that he was going to kill her. Brown said the woman was lucky to be alive, according to the same account relayed by the Mercury News.
Hinton was convicted in both attacks in 2025, and his sentencing was delayed until October 2, when the 169-year term was formally imposed. Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton released a statement praising the victims' extraordinary courage, the paper reported.
How a Repeat Offender Reached a 169-Year Term
The scale of the sentence traces back to California's Three Strikes framework. Under Penal Code Sections 667 and 1170.12, forcible rape is classified as a serious and violent felony strike, which doubles prison terms for a second-strike conviction. A third-strike life sentence is not automatic; it depends on the current offense, qualifying prior strikes, and statutory exceptions. Hinton had a prior rape conviction and was convicted in the new Concord and Richmond attacks; he received a 169-year sentence.
Because rape is classified as a violent felony under Penal Code Section 667.5, Hinton will also be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison term before becoming eligible for parole, per Eisner Gorin LLP.
An Unhoused Victim in Richmond
One of Hinton's victims was unhoused when he attacked her in Richmond.
As a convicted sex offender, Hinton remains subject to California's Sex Offender Registration Act under Penal Code Section 290, which mandates lifetime registration.
