Cleveland Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for 2013 Rape of Developmentally-Disabled Woman, 2019 Rape of 76-Year-Old Woman

CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that Derrick Brown, 26, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping a 30-year-old woman in Garfield Heights in 2013 and a 76-year-old woman in South Euclid in 2019.

“This predator violently beat and raped these victims, whose lives are now forever changed,” said Prosecutor O’Malley, “He deserves every day of this decades-long prison sentence for these despicable actions.”

On March 17, 2013, the victim was talking with a friend outside a Garfield Heights residence when Brown, who was unknown to the victim, joined in the conversation. The victim’s friend let her and Brown into the apartment complex and walked upstairs to his unit leaving Brown and the victim in the hallway. After the victim refused Brown’s demands for sex, he punched her in the face breaking her nose, forced her to the ground, and sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene. Garfield Heights Police (GHPD) responded and collected DNA left at the scene. The DNA evidence was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) – the FBI’s national DNA database – but did not produce a hit as Brown had no prior record.

On January 9, 2019, Brown broke into the victim’s South Euclid residence through a basement window during the middle of the night while she was asleep. The victim awoke to the noise and walked to the kitchen when Brown repeatedly hit her, knocked her to the ground, and sexually assaulted her multiple times at knifepoint. He then demanded money from the victim. After the victim complied, he forced her into her own car at knifepoint, drove her to a nearby bank, and demanded she withdraw additional cash before driving her back to her residence and fleeing the scene in her car. She immediately called 911 and South Euclid Police (SEPD) responded and processed the scene for DNA evidence. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital where a rape kit was collected.

An investigation conducted by SEPD connected Brown to the crime. DNA evidence from the 2019 rape matched DNA evidence collected by GHPD from the 2013 rape. The U.S. Marshals Service arrested him on January 21, 2019.

Brown has pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• Three counts of Rape
• Two counts of Felonious Assault
• One count of Aggravated Burglary
• One count of Kidnapping
• One count of Aggravated Robbery
• One count of Grand Theft

Brown was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He will also be classified as a Tier-III Sex Offender, which requires him to register every 90 days for the rest of his life.