FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 17, 2018
COVINGTON—District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that Ronald D. Moore, Jr., 26, of Lacombe, was sentenced Monday (Sept. 17) to mandatory life in prison for breaking into a Mandeville woman’s home and raping her last year.
A first degree rape charge carries a mandatory life sentence under state law. District Judge Peter Garcia also sentenced Moore to 15 years in prison for the aggravated burglary charge, with the sentences to be served concurrently.
A St. Tammany Parish jury convicted Moore last month after a weeklong trial. Assistant District Attorneys Blair Alford and William Macke, who both prosecuted the case, said Moore was a stranger to the then 53-year-old victim and that this was a crime of opportunity.
The victim spoke briefly before the sentencing. “He changed both of our lives the night he made this decision…,” she said. “From this day, I hope to keep getting better.”
The victim lived alone in Old Mandeville and was asleep on the sofa about 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 5, 2017, when she awakened to Moore, standing over her and fondling her. She tried to fight him off, but he put her in a chokehold, strangling her so intensely that blood pooled in the back of her neck, and blood vessels ruptured in her face. During an ordeal that lasted about two hours, Moore raped her, threatened to kill her, taunted her, and stole her prescription medication, driver’s license and mobile phone.
When Moore eventually fled, the victim went to the hospital, where the Mandeville Police Department was contacted. The victim was able to give a detailed description of Moore. During their investigation, police officers used video surveillance from surrounding establishments to identify a man who matched the victim’s description. When an image from the video was publicized, a caller identified Moore.
DNA evidence, matched to Moore, also was found on the victim.
In statements to police, Moore remembered being at a bar near the victim’s home. He also said he recalled getting a ride home from a gas station near the bar, but he claimed he could not remember what happened during the hours in between.
Judge Garcia denied motions by Moore’s attorney for an acquittal and for a new trial.
“This crime was particularly cruel in my mind,” Garcia said.