A Tucson man plead guilty last week to sexual assault, aggravated assault and burglary for a 2016 crime, officials say.
Eric Charles Thomas broke into the victim's home one night in August 2016. He woke her up by demanding to know where her money was. He got into her bed and punched her in the face, breaking her nose and a bone around her eye socket, giving her a concussion, according to the Pima County Attorney's Office.
It was dark, but when the victim scratched him trying to defend herself, she could feel he was naked. He sexually assaulted her and put her in a closet, blocking the door so she couldn't get out while he rummaged through her things.
Thomas then tried to clean his DNA and fingerprints out of the house, putting items he touched into the washing machine. He brought the woman into the bathroom and forced her to shower. She kept her hands out of the water.
After he left, she called 911 from a neighbor's house. Authorities were able to recover Thomas' DNA from her body and from around her house.
When he was arrested, Thomas said he knew the victim because she worked with his girlfriend. The girlfriend told authorities he left home on the night of the crime at 6:30 and didn't get back until the morning.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 3. The sentencing range is 28 to 98 years in prison.
