Canton man sentenced to life for 5-hour assault and rape of woman he met through Nextdoor

A 23-year-old Canton man has been sentenced to life in prison for assaulting and raping a woman whom he had arranged to come and clean his apartment.

Prosecutors say that Ezekiel Lamar Jackson sexually assaulted the victim multiple times and threatened to kill her if she tried to leave over the course of five hours on April 6.

The Canton Police Department began an investigation on that day after Northside Hospital reported a patient who had been attacked.

Investigators say the victim had responded to a Nextdoor post about an apartment cleaning the day before, setting up an appointment with Jackson the morning of April 6 to see the scope of the job.

While she was in the bathroom, prosecutors say Jackson stabbed her in the face and eye with a screwdriver, strangled her to the point where she felt she was losing consciousness, and prevented her from screaming for help by forcing his fingers down her throat.

The victim eventually was able to persuade Jackson to take her to the hospital, allegedly agreeing to tell the staff that she had fallen and hit her face on a counter. There, physicians discovered that she had suffered an orbital fracture and brain bleeds.

Jackson was still in the hospital's waiting room when police arrived to arrest him.

While searching the man's phone, investigators say they found 15 responses to his Nextdoor post. Jackson had ignored the rest, which were from men or employees of larger cleaning companies, only responding to the victim's message.

"Evidence suggests this defendant intentionally targeted this victim because she was a woman working alone," said Cherokee County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Chavis. "He is a dangerous man, and the brutality of his actions is shocking. The victim demonstrated great courage and strength, and ultimately saved her own life in the face of such evil."

On Thursday, Jackson pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, three counts of aggravated sodomy, kidnapping, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated battery, and terroristic threats.

A judge sentenced him to life with the possibility of parole, followed by 40 years of probation.

"The defendant's conduct was torturous and horrific," said District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway. "For five hours, this victim endured unimaginable violence. A sentence of life in prison is the only appropriate outcome for the deeply disturbing actions of this defendant."

As part of the sentence, Jackson is required to pay restitution and have no contact with the victim. While on probation, he is barred from Georgia except for Effingham County and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Jackson must also register as a sex offender and receive psychosexual and mental health evaluations and treatments.