Man gets 38 years for raping woman at knifepoint in Minneapolis

A man who pleaded guilty to raping a woman while threatening her with a knife last year in Minneapolis will serve a 38-year sentence for the crime.

Eliezer Rodriguez, 32, pleaded guilty in September to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct while armed with a dangerous weapon for the June 7, 2024, assault. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss seven other counts against him, including charges of kidnapping and carjacking, court records show.

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Rodriguez faced sentencing on Thursday. The judge overseeing his case credited him with 558 days served in jail and ordered him to undergo 10 years of conditional release once his time in prison is over.

According to a criminal complaint, Rodriguez was armed with a knife when he approached the victim on a walking trail by Cedar Lake. He forced her into the woods, choked her and threatened her with the blade before sexually assaulting her.

Rodriguez later forced the woman to drive him around, first to a parking ramp, where he violated her again, and then to a McDonald’s, where he made her buy him food, the complaint states. Later, Rodriguez pulled out a syringe and said he “had one more thing to do,” at which point the woman jumped out of the car and ran. Rodriguez drove away with the car.

Authorities eventually tracked Rodriguez down after finding the victim’s stolen car in Otter Tail County. The victim confirmed from a photo lineup that Rodriguez was the man who attacked her.

The post Man gets 38 years for raping woman at knifepoint in Minneapolis first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.