SAN FRANCISCO (KRON/BCN) — A San Francisco man has been found guilty in the 2010 rape of a woman in her own apartment, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon announced Thursday.
30-year-old Damir Shalako was convicted on five felonies including two counts of rape by force or violence, one count of sexual penetration by a foreign object with force or violence, burglary with intent to commit rape and first-degree residential robbery, prosecutors said.
Shalako faces 64 years to life in state prison.
Investigators say the rape occurred on Sept. 28, 2010, after the victim arrived to her apartment complex at around 11 a.m. and noticed her neighbor’s apartment door was open. She saw Shalako inside that unit before she went to her own apartment upstairs, prosecutors said.
Shalako had recently been released from prison on a domestic violence charge, prosecutors said.
Shalako gained access to the victim’s apartment after he knocked on her door and asked to use her bathroom, prosecutors said. The woman knew he was her neighbor’s grandson and let him in.
While inside her apartment, Shalako punched the victim in the head, pushed her onto a bed and raped her, according to investigators.
After the rape, Shalako picked up the victim’s purse and threatened her saying, “Don’t yell and don’t call the police or I’ll kill you. I want all of your money,” prosecutors said.
Shalako’s grandmother heard commotion that sounded like people struggling coming from the victim’s apartment upstairs, so she started banging on the door, prosecutors said.
She tried to stop Shalako from leaving the apartment, but he pushed her aside and fled the area. The grandmother then called police to report the rape, prosecutors said.
Police arrested Shalako a few days later.
The victim was able to identify him as her attacker, and DNA evidence also linked Shalako to the rape, prosecutors said.