Hot Springs teen sentenced to 25 years for raping 25-year-old

HOT SPRINGS — A teen was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to attacking and raping a woman in her bed in 2018 when he was younger.

Cory Terrance Gibson Jr., 19, was set to stand trial next week in Garland County Circuit Court but opted to plead guilty to the rape charge at a pretrial hearing Wednesday while an additional felony charge of aggravated assault from the same incident was withdrawn as part of the plea agreement.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Kara Petro told The Sentinel-Record that Gibson will have to serve 70% or 17 ½ years of his sentence before he is eligible for parole under sentencing guidelines. Because he was 16 at the time of the rape, the normal maximum of life in prison was not applicable and the most he could have received was 40 years.

Even if a jury had sentenced him to 40 years, because of his age, he would have come up for a review under the law after 20 years and “this way the victim didn’t have to go through a trial and having to testify,” Petro said, noting the victim had approved the plea offer prior to Wednesday’s hearing.

“You’re really only talking about a few years difference,” she said.

Gibson also has multiple felony charges pending in connection with a June 13 drive-by shooting he was arrested for while out on bond from the rape case. He is charged with three counts of terroristic act — punishable by up to life in prison — and two counts of first-degree battery, each punishable by up to 20 years, for the incident in which two people were shot outside a local church.

He was arrested on July 31, 2018 on the rape charge, shortly after it occurred and was held in lieu of a $100,000 bond until earlier this year when he was released on bond. It was revoked after his arrest following the shooting.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Hot Springs police responded at around 6 a.m. that day to a residence in reference to a rape that had just occurred and spoke with a woman, 25, in front of the home.

She stated a black male known to her as “Cory” had assaulted her and raped her in her bedroom. Officers noted she had bruises on her face, neck and arms consistent with her statement. She also had a lacerated bottom lip.

While talking to the victim, officers located a male, identified as Gibson, matching the description of her attacker at a nearby intersection and detained him. The woman identified him as the one who had attacked her.

Detectives responded to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs to interview the victim further and she stated she woke up in her bedroom with “Cory” standing next to her bed masturbating.

She said she attempted to confront him when he grabbed her by the throat and began punching her in the face. She said he told her, “You know you want it” during the assault. After punching her, she said he raped her.

She said the assault continued for approximately 30 minutes before he left the room and went upstairs.

Gibson was charged as an adult with rape and aggravated assault, which were filed directly to circuit court.

He was initially held without bail in the juvenile detention center, but later bond was set at $100,000 and he was moved to the adult detention center. Gibson’s attorneys had tried unsuccessfully to have the case remanded to Garland County Juvenile Court.