A violent man was sentenced to death on Tuesday for raping and murdering a woman in Phoenix in 2020.
Humphry Dogbe was sentenced to death for raping and killing Lori Lynn Blankenship in May 2020, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell stated on Tuesday.
“Today’s death sentence for Mr. Dogbe serves as a reminder that when a life is taken, the law can impose its most severe consequence,” Mitchell said in a release. “Lori Blankenship was more than the victim in this case; she was a life taken far too soon. While no verdict can restore what was lost, her memory deserves to be honored, and her life should never be forgotten.”
According to a release from Mitchell’s office, officers responded to a 911 call around 4:30 a.m. at a fueling station near Interstate 10 and 27th Avenue. Blankenship was found naked with horrific injuries by officers, and she had been killed for several hours before police arrived.
Cameras at the gas station showed Dogbe dragging Blankenship over the pavement, choking her, and sexually assaulting her, Mitchell said.
He was discovered to be a registered sex offender who lived in the community.
Dogbe was identified in a photo lineup by a witness who Mitchell claimed tried to persuade Dogbe to halt the incident.
Hours later, Dogbe was discovered at a nearby business dressed similarly to the suspect in the gas station footage. He reportedly told authorities that he raped and choked Blankenship after she refused to have sex with him.
In September, a jury convicted Dogbe of first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual abuse, and four counts of sexual assault.
He was sentenced in October to 48 years in jail for kidnapping, sexual assault, and sexual abuse. The county attorney’s office stated that this will run simultaneously with his death sentence.
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