WESTGATE MALL ABDUCTION LEADS TO 60-YEAR PRISON SENTENCES

Two Spartanburg men received 60-year prison sentences today when they admitted to abducting a Westgate Mall shopper, raping her and robbing her at gunpoint.

Cedrick Edwards, 21, of 553 Humphries St., pleaded guilty to armed robbery, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and unlawful possession of a pistol.

Mark Anthony Mance, 21, of 762 Farley Ave., pleaded guilty to armed robbery, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping.

Circuit Judge John Few issued the sentences the morning the case was scheduled for trial.

About 10 p.m. on April 18, 2003, Edwards and Mance approached a 24-year-old woman in the parking lot near Dillard’s and threatened her with a silver handgun. The men forced the woman to get in her car with them. Edwards drove the car out of the parking lot. They drove through several neighborhoods before they stopped the car near the railroad tracks in Hampton Heights community. Once the car stopped, Mance sexually assaulted the woman while Edwards pointed the gun at her. Edwards assaulted her next.

After the attacks, the men restarted the car and drove around some surrounding neighborhoods for another 30 minutes or so. Mance assaulted the woman a second time while they drove. Edwards and Mance let the woman out of her car in the Arkwright community. A security guard at a business called 911 for her.

A short time later, the woman’s car was found abandoned at the Motel 6 near the intersection of I-85 and Highway 221. Authorities spotted two men walking away from the business who fit the description of the attackers.

During a pat down search, a gun was found in Edwards pocket. Investigators also called the woman’s cell phone and found it ringing in one of the defendant’s pockets.

Forensic tests showed that DNA from both Mance and Edwards was found in the victim’s car.

The victim became pregnant from the attack. When she decided to carry the child to full term and place it up for adoption, paternity tests were conducted. The results showed a 99.999 % probability that Mance is the father.