A DeRidder man convicted last week of breaking into an elderly woman’s home and raping her has been sentenced to life in prison.
Ezra Coutee, 46, was sentenced by Judge C. Kerry Anderson on Thursday to life in prison at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
He was convicted on Feb. 3 of first-degree rape and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling after a jury deliberation of two hours.
For the unauthorized entry charge, Coutee was sentenced to six years at hard labor to run concurrently with the life sentence.
Just before the sentencing, Anderson also denied a motion for new trial filed by Coutee’s defense.
Coutee was arrested in May 2019 in Lafayette Parish after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
During the trial, authorities testified that on the morning of April 20, 2019, the Beauregard Sheriff’s Office received an emergency call reporting a man had entered the home of an elderly woman without permission and had raped her.
The victim reportedly told investigators she had been able to flee from the home and call 911 from a neighbor’s residence.
Coutee was identified as a person of interest based upon a description from the victim and DNA confirmation from tests conducted on belongings left behind at the crime scene.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Wayne Bush, who said he hoped the conviction, and now the sentencing, of Coutee will bring peace and closure to the victim.