A San Jose man has been arrested for allegedly breaking into a house and raping a child in an apparent random attack, police said. Dupree Kenneth Hornsby, 24, was arrested after he grabbed an 8-year-old girl in her Damsen Drive house on the morning of August 6, officials said.
Hornsby, whose last known address is Stockton, is now facing life behind bars after he was slapped with eight felony sex crime counts, including rape of a child. The horrifying attack has left the girl traumatized and she is undergoing treatment.
Horrifying Attack
According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, the 8-year-old girl was playing in her home when Hornsby allegedly broke into the house. He then locked her in a room and started sexually assaulting her. He then let her go and fled the scene.
When he eventually let her go, she ran to a family member and started yelling in pain. According to reports, Hornsby isn't related to the victim's family and it was a random attack.
"The suspect was a stranger with no prior associations to the juvenile victim," said a statement from the San Jose Police Department. Police received the first report of the incident around 7:30 am and officers reached the scene almost immediately.
The victim was immediately transported to the District Attorney's Child Advocacy Center, where she is still receiving treatment. Later, she was interviewed when she gave an accurate description of Hornsby to the police, who were able to locate him in the surrounding area less than two hours and was soon arrested.
Nabbed in Time
Hornsby fled the scene and was planning to hide but thanks to a police officer on patrol who identified him. At about 9:10 am, the officer on patrol saw a man walking in the area matching a description given of the suspect and detained him. The man, later identified as Hornsby, was eventually booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail, San Jose police said.
"This nightmare of a crime has shaken all of us," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "The alert police officer who saw and arrested this predator just hours later, and before anyone else was hurt, is a credit to the badge and our community."
Hornsby later accepted that he was the man who broke into the house and raped the girl. However, police didn't share the motive behind the crime abut believe that it was a random attack given that the victim's family and suspect are not related. He was arraigned on Tuesday and faces life in prison if convicted.
