Man convicted of raping Rapides Sheriff's Office informant sentenced to 10 years

An Alexandria man convicted in the 2021 rape of a Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office informant received 10 years in prison Monday, a sentence prosecutors intend to appeal as being too lenient.

Antonio Demetrius Jones, 48, was sentenced by 9th Judicial District Court Judge Chris Hazel to 10 years each on two counts of third-degree rape. The sentences will be served concurrently and without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

Rapides Assistant District Attorney Brian Cespiva objected to the sentence in court. Outside the courtroom, Cespiva said he was "extremely disappointed."

"We did what we could do, got convictions on two counts of third-degree rape, but we respect Judge Hazel and all the judges of the 9th JDC," he said. "All we can do is keep convicting people and hope they get high sentences."

Hazel gave no reasoning in open court for his decision. The maximum sentence for third-degree rape is 25 years, and Cespiva had asked for the maximum on both counts. He also sought to have Jones serve the sentences back to back for a total of 50 years.

Hours later, Cespiva said he would file a motion asking for the sentence to be reconsidered.

Jones was found guilty Nov. 17 after one day of testimony that included a graphic video of the oral rapes. The victim was a confidential informant for the Rapides Sheriff's Office who had gone to Jones' Texas Avenue home to purchase meth.

The woman paid for the drugs, but then Jones demanded sex. The video, which captured her protests and cries, was so graphic that some jurors kept looking away.

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The victim wore a wire that captured audio and video, but the Sheriff's Office didn't have the equipment to watch live, so detectives watching the area were unaware of what was happening to their informant.

Jones' defense attorney, Phillip Robinson, asked for a mistrial on the grounds that at least two jurors didn't watch the video, but that was denied.

The victim testified during the trial, saying she didn't leave between the rapes because she had paid for the drugs but hadn't received them yet. After getting the drugs and leaving, she immediately notified the detectives who were surveilling the home about what had happened.

Jones was arrested soon after.

In asking for the maximum sentence, Cespiva told Hazel that Jones' actions met almost every aggravating circumstance listed under the law for the crime and none of the mitigating factors. He said Jones is a four-time felon in Mississippi, which is where he was found after he failed to show up for his first trial date in the case.

He later was arrested and returned to Alexandria.

Cespiva also mentioned the video, telling Hazel he "saw the terror that was experienced by the victim." He said Jones threatened to harm the victim, telling her she would join her father in the hospital if she didn't do as he wished.

The victim's father had been diagnosed with cancer and was in a hospital on the day of the rapes. She testified that the rapes caused her to relapse and begin using meth again, but she said she had since stopped using drugs.

Robinson asked Hazel for mercy on behalf of his client, saying Jones didn't have a serious criminal history, that the victim didn't suffer physical harm and that the rapes were no premeditated. He told Hazel he understood the court's job, but asked for mercy.

In the months leading up to the trial, Jones had rejected a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for at least 30 years.

Cespiva, who was in court with co-counsels and fellow Assistant District Attorneys Johnny Giordano and Gerald Weeks, said Jones has been notified that they intend to take him to trial in May on a drug charge related to the rape conviction.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: State to appeal 10-year sentence for man who raped Rapides informant