On Thursday morning, Cobb Superior Court Judge Robert D. Leonard II sentenced Shian Alexander Martin, 41, of Atlanta, to life in prison without parole, plus 20 years on probation, for a rape that occurred on Windy Hill Road in February of 2017. Recidivism played a role in the severity of the sentence, as Martin has multiple prior convictions for entering auto, robbery, theft and drugs, in Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties.
Cobb Acting District Attorney John Melvin said in a press release that the crime occurred when the victim, who Martin had been dating, tried to end the relationship.
A Cobb Superior Court jury convicted Martin of the crime on Wednesday.
According to the press release:
In February 2017, Martin and the woman had known each other for three months, during which time Martin had grown controlling and increasingly violent when the woman expressed needing space from him. He had previously strangled her, threatened her with knives, and kept her from leaving her home for days because he felt she was seeing other people.
On the morning of Feb. 20, 2017, the two were in her apartment on Windy Hill Road. When the woman refused to have sex with Martin, he grabbed a knife and held it to her throat, saying they were both going to die. Over the next several hours, Martin cut, strangled, and raped the woman at knifepoint, causing numerous marks and lacerations on her neck, arms, and legs. She tried to record a video on her laptop, and while Martin was distracted trying to turn it off, the woman escaped and called Cobb Police, who arrested Martin that same day.
According to Melvin’s press release, Martin continued to phone the woman from the Cobb County jail. He asked her not to show up for the trial, told her that he committed the act because she was pulling away from him, and told her “your body is mine.”
There was also testimony in the trial from an expert on domestic violence and abusive relationships, who said to the jurors that victims can develop a psychological bond with their abuser that is similar to addiction.
“This victim endured escalating abuse at the hands of this dangerous manipulator. Through his words and actions, this Defendant told the victim that her choices, her body, and even her life were under his control,” Cobb Assistant District Attorney Drew Healy said. “This sentence ensures no other person will have to suffer at the hands of this predator.”
The trial began Monday.
