A 36-year-old Atlanta man was convicted of raping a woman he had met on a commuter train after pretending to be gay to gain her trust, prosecutors said.
The man, Taurence Callagain, met the woman in 2015 at a transit station on the west side of the city, and the two eventually exchanged numbers after riding the same train, according to a statement from the Fulton County District Attorney's office. Prosecutors did not identify the victim.
"The victim is a lesbian and has a female partner who she was in a relationship with when she met the defendant," the office said. "Callagain led the victim to believe he was gay, so she was under the impression that their relationship was strictly platonic."
Weeks later, after the victim missed the last bus of the night, Callagain offered to drive her home, according to the DA's office. He then claimed that he needed to stop at his house to pick up marijuana, and the victim followed him into his home.
"At that point, the victim thought they were going to Callagain's bedroom to smoke marijuana when he began to strangle her and proceeded to violently rape her," the DA's office stated. "During the rape, Callagain told the victim if she fought or screamed, 'I will get my boys to come in and hold you down.'"
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After the rape, the victim escaped and ran 3 miles in the middle of the night to her home. She later went to a hospital to seek treatment and called police.
Callagain, who is facing a separate aggravated assault case in the county, claimed at his trial that the encounter was consensual. His conviction was announced Tuesday. A sentencing date has not been set.
In Georgia, a rape conviction can carry a sentence of 25 years in prison to the death penalty.
