News

Georgia man gets up to 49 years in prison for abduction and rape

Aaron Marquez Boyd

By Lightning Reports, Published: December 19, 2025

A 36-year-old Georgia man was sentenced to up to 49 years in prison after he pleaded guilty on Thursday to the forcible rape of a young woman he abducted from a fast-food restaurant at an I-26 interchange.

Aaron Marquez Boyd, of Girard, Georgia, pleaded guilty to first-degree forcible rape, first-degree sexual offense, first-degree kidnapping and robbery with a dangerous weapon during a session of Henderson County Criminal Superior Court, District Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced.

According to the investigation report, on Feb. 10, 2022, a 24-year-old female was travelling through Henderson County on I-26 when she turned off the interstate to use the restroom at a restaurant off Howard Gap Road. As she returned to her car, Boyd aggressively approached the female while displaying a gun and told her to get into her car, or he would shoot her.

Boyd then got into her car and made her drive to a remote location where he sexually assaulted her. Afterward, the defendant told her to stay or he would shoot her, took her phone and drove off in her vehicle.

After watching surveillance footage at the fast-food restaurant, Henderson County sheriff’s deputies took note of an abandoned grey Ford Taurus parked in the area where the defendant was observed to be, and were able to determine that the vehicle was registered in Georgia to Boyd. The victim was then able to identify the man who abducted and raped her from a Department of Motor Vehicles photo. Three days after the assault, officers located and arrested Boyd in Gulfport, Mississippi, who was driving the victim’s vehicle.

Superior Court Judge Peter Knight sentenced Boyd to defendant to 276 to 392 months for the first-degree forcible rape, a 72 to 99 months for first-degree kidnapping and 72 to 99 months for robbery with a dangerous weapon. The first-degree sexual offense was consolidated into the first-degree forcible rape. All the charges were ordered to be served consecutively for a total sentence of 35 to 49 years in prison. The defendant also must register as a sex offender upon his release.  

Assistant District Attorney Doug Mundy handled the prosecution and sentencing. Murray thanked the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office as well as Gulfport, Mississippi, police for their professional and thorough investigation of this case.