Man Convicted of Rape, Kidnapping and Assault
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Following a four-day trial, a Shelby County jury found Adrian Pegues guilty of multiple felony offenses Friday in connection with the kidnapping, physical assault and sexual assault of his former girlfriend.
Jury selection began Monday, with the trial beginning Tuesday and concluding Friday. Assistant District Attorneys Regina Lucreziano and Steven Shirley prosecuted the case on behalf of the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office.
The jury found Pegues guilty as charged of aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault and domestic assault. On two additional counts of aggravated rape, jurors found Pegues guilty of the lesser-included offense of rape.
During the trial, prosecutors presented testimony from five witnesses, including the victim, who testified about the violence and sexual assaults she endured. Jurors also heard from the responding Memphis Police officer, two rape crisis nurses who treated the victim, and a DNA analyst who testified regarding forensic evidence in the case.
The charges stemmed from an August 2022 incident. According to the Memphis Police Department arrest report, the victim reported that Pegues arrived unannounced at a home in the 1000 block of Woodbury in Memphis, where he assaulted her before taking her cellphone and driving her to another location.
The victim told investigators that Pegues repeatedly assaulted her, sexually assaulted her multiple times and prevented her from leaving over the course of approximately two days. She also reported that he threatened to kill her if she attempted to alert her family or law enforcement. Pegues eventually dropped her off at Baptist Hospital on August 21 after she pleaded to receive medical treatment.
When investigators met with the victim the following day, they observed severe bruising to her face, eyes and nose. She had also suffered fractures to her nose in two places. The victim later identified Pegues in a photographic lineup as the person responsible for the assaults and kidnapping.
“This verdict holds the defendant accountable for a prolonged and violent attack that no one should ever have to endure,” said Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy. “We are grateful to the survivor for the courage it took to come forward, participate in this prosecution and see this case through to a verdict.”
Sentencing is forthcoming.