MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. (TCN) — A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to death for the 2020 rape and killing of a woman who was found dead at a commercial fueling station.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, officers with the Phoenix Police Department arrived at a commercial fueling station to find 37-year-old Lori Lynn Blankenship, who was nude and showed signs of trauma. Investigators viewed surveillance footage that showed registered sex offender Humphry Dixon Dogbe dragging Blankenship across the ground, choking her, and then sexually assaulting her.
A witness reportedly tried to get Dogbe to stop while he was attacking Blankenship. According to the county attorney’s office, this witness helped identify him in a photo lineup. Dogbe later admitted to raping and killing Blankenship after soliciting for her sex, which she refused.
KOLD reported at the time that Dogbe was on parole or probation when he killed Blankenship. According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Re-entry, Dogbe spent five years in prison in connection with a 2015 kidnapping in Maricopa County before assaulting and killing Blankenship, the Fresno Bee reports.
According to the county attorney, Dogbe was convicted in September of one count each of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and sexual abuse, and four counts of sexual assault. He was sentenced to death for the murder charge on Nov. 10 and 48 years in prison for the other charges
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said, “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. … 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.”
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