Image Credit: Shelby County Sheriff’s Office & StormChasingVideo.com / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A Memphis man accused of child rape is now facing additional charges after escaping from the police, only to turn himself in less than an hour later.
20-year-old Demarkus Davis was arrested on two counts of rape of a child but he ran off on Sunday evening. Memphis police say they were notified around 10:00 pm that Davis had escaped from another agency.
With wind chills falling below zero degrees on Sunday evening and an accumulation of four to six inches of snow, the weather proved to be more than Davis could tolerate.
At around 10:35 pm, Davis asked a civilian to contact police because he wanted to turn himself in. Memphis police say he was picked up in the 100 block of Madison Avenue and taken to the Shelby County Jail.
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office records show that he is now charged with one count of escape in addition to the two counts of rape of a child.
Currently, state law says that a person convicted of rape of a child must be given a minimum 35-40 year sentence and, in some cases, a 40-60 year sentence. Those convicted of aggravated rape of a child must be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
New legislation filed by State Representative William Lamberth would make the death penalty an option for these crimes.
House Bill 1663 (HB1663) would allow the death penalty to be prescribed as punishment for adults who commit the following crimes: rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, and especially aggravated rape of a child.
