FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — During the sentencing for a convicted serial rapist on Tuesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Alford J. Dempsey, Jr. did not mince his words.
"True justice," he told Dandre Shabazz, "would be to put you in a room with your victims and turn them loose on you."
"However," he added,"the law does not allow such to happen, so the worst I can do to you is to give you every day I can find."
That turned out to be 12 consecutive life sentences.
Shabazz was convicted last week on 24 out of 25 counts that included multiple rape charges, aggravated robbery and kidnapping. He was found guilty of raping a dozen women at gunpoint in southwest Atlanta between 2002 and 2005.
Judge Dempsey harshly criticized Shabazz for preying on what he called the most vulnerable of victims - poor black women who were characterized as sex workers during the trial.
"Today is a time that so many people have no respect for women as a whole," Judge Dempsey said. "It's even worse when a black male, who should understand the struggles of black women, and how they have struggled doing whatever they had to do to take care of their children."
"What you did not know is that in this community we have a history of black men protecting black women," the judge continued. "And so for you to choose your victims from the black community evinces the notion that you didn't think that anyone would care, because your victims were black women. And even worse, you chose the least of these to victimize - you chose poor black women whose lives were already devastated and marginalized, and you not only thought people would not care, you thought you could continue this heinous behavior for years and no one would even notice."
The judge told Shabazz "your conduct in violating all these women demonstrates a disrespect for poor black women that is beyond the pale."
In delivering 12 life sentences, Judge Dempsey said that the "terror, humiliation and degradation they suffered at your hands will haunt them for the rest of their lives" and said that each life sentence was for the life Shabazz stole from each victim.
"No matter what path their lives would have taken, whether it would've been a high path or low path, they will never know, because you derailed them from their future," he said. "You have destroyed any sense of security and well-being they may have enjoyed in their lives, and imbued them with a fear that will follow them forever."
"Mr. Shabazz, since you have given each of these women a life sentence, it only seems appropriate that you be given a life sentence for each of your victims," the judge concluded.
He then read his sentence for each of the convictions.
Before the sentencing, Shabazz spoke on his own behalf.
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