COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Cobb County jury has convicted a man accused of strangling a woman who and sexually assaulting her as he recorded the violence.
The district attorney's office confirmed on Thursday that 38-year-old Darryl Joseph Clark had been found guilty of aggravated sodomy and aggravated assault - strangulation for acts he committed in 2017.
Authorities said that the victim "matched" with her attacker on a dating app and met with him in public the day before he would assault her. She declined when Clark asked her to come into his apartment. However, she agreed to meet him again the next day.
On July 5, 2017, she returned to his apartment but got up and tried to leave when Clark made physical contact with her.
That's when, according to information provided by the district attorney, he pushed her down and "strangled her to the point she thought she was going to die."
Clark then forced the victim to perform oral sex and took a video that he threatened to release if she spoke to police about the assault.
But the victim didn't let his threats stop her from contacting Acworth Police where she received evaluations and medical treatment. Authorities said that in the days after the attack, bruises appeared on her neck and chest. She also had bleeding from both eyes.
Nurses who specialize in sex assault testified the injuries suggestive of strangulation with "significant force."
The victim also testified that the attacks left her with lasting effects such as nightmares and flashbacks. She had to take a year off from work as a result.
Another woman also spoke about her own experience with the same man who she said strangled her and forced her to perform oral sex numerous times while they were in a relationship. She said that Clark became violent when being turned down for sex and that she had to take out a protective order against him.
“This Defendant viewed women as objects, expected them to give him sex, and was willing to use threats and violence to get what he wanted,” assistant district attorney Drew Healy said.
Healy said the brave actions of his victims played a major role in bringing a repeat predator to justice. The sentiment was shared by Judge C. LaTain Kell before he imposed the recommended 50-year sentence against Clark. Judge Kell said that she was "very believable," strong and courageous.
Even with time served since 2017 included in his sentence, Clark will likely be in prison until his late 80s. At that point, he would receive lifetime probation and would be subject to sex offender conditions. He would also be placed on the sex offender registry for the remainder of his life.
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