Man convicted for rape of Sacramento woman held at knifepoint in her own home

A Sacramento County jury on Tuesday convicted a man who raped a woman in her 60s inside her home earlier this year as he held her at knifepoint and threatened to kill her, prosecutors said.

Tealow Franklin Jr., 48, was found guilty of rape by force, assault with a deadly weapon, making criminal threats and witness intimidation, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday in a news release.

The woman had suffered a major medical event, which affected her memory, ability to process information and mobility. Prosecutors said Franklin was aware of her condition when he went to her Sacramento home on April 7.

Franklin went inside her home, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, hit the woman on her head with the knife’s handle and dragged her into a bedroom, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Franklin then raped the woman at knifepoint, while threatening to stab and kill her. They said Franklin also threatened to kill her if she called the police.

After the rape, the woman’s daughter texted her mother to check how she was doing. The woman told her daughter about the rape. The daughter then called the police. Franklin was arrested by Sacramento police and booked into jail the following day.

His conviction included enhancements to his charges for using a knife in the crimes, committing a crime that involved great callousness, attacking a victim who was especially vulnerable and taking advantage of a position of trust.

Franklin remained in custody as of Wednesday at the Sacramento County Main Jail.

He is scheduled to return before Judge Satnam Rattu on Oct. 6 for his sentencing hearing in Sacramento Superior Court.

Prosecutors said Franklin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and 4 months in prison. Deputy District Attorney Katherine Martin prosecuted the case against Franklin.