MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons announced Thursday a Memphis man pleaded guilty as charged to sexually assaulting and robbing a woman inside her home near the Chickasaw Gardens in 2007.
Elroy Cobbins, 32, pleaded guilty to aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated robbery, and aggravated burglary. He received a sentence of 49 years in prison for the crimes.
Co-defendant Marchello Hurst, 26, pleaded guilty last month to two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of aggravated burglary. Judge James Beasley is scheduled to sentence Hurst on May 18.
On May 11, 2007, Cobbins sexually assaulted the victim, and then robbed the victim and her 12-year-old son at gunpoint inside their home on Goodwyn Street in the Chickasaw Gardens area. Memphis police arrested Cobbins and Hurst just days later. Prosecutors announced in court that forensic evidence gathered during an examination of the victim just hours after the crime at the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center (MSARC) was crucial to proving the aggravated rape charge in this case.
Aggravated rape is a charge covered by the D.A.’s “No Deals” policy on violent crimes. Exceptions are made to the policy for legal or ethical reasons.
Assistant District Attorneys Amy Weirich and Damon Griffin prosecuted this case. |