ATLANTA — A Fulton County man will spend the next 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to sexually assault a vulnerable stroke patient inside Grady Memorial Hospital, according to prosecutors.
Channel 2 Action News first broke the story in 2024 after investigators accused Shamon Pearce of attacking a woman recovering from a stroke while she was a patient at Grady.
Last month, Pearce, now 26, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with intent to rape, criminal attempt to commit rape, false imprisonment, sexual battery and public indecency.
A Fulton County judge sentenced him to 30 years, with the first 20 years to be served in prison.
Channel 2 Action News obtained exclusive surveillance video that prosecutors say captured Pearce’s movements immediately after the attack.
The video shows Pearce running naked through hospital hallways after prosecutors say the victim, now a 49-year-old mother of two, fought him off and alerted hospital staff.
According to court records, the woman woke up to find Pearce, who was also a patient at the hospital, inside her room.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Stacey Burke said Pearce climbed on top of the victim and attempted to prevent her from calling for help.
“He went into her room. He got on top of her. He tried to put a pillow over her face,” Burke said.
Prosecutors said the victim fought back despite her medical condition.
“She suffered a stroke. She’s really unable to move or defend herself in any way, and to think that someone would come and violate her attempting to rape her is just a horrible situation,” Willis said.
According to prosecutors, the struggle caused both Pearce and the victim to fall from the hospital bed.
“She fell off the bed, and he fell off the bed, and she hit her head, and so she needed additional surgery,” Burke said.
Surveillance video later captured Pearce running through the hospital before making his way to the basement.
Investigators said he hid inside a trash can for more than an hour in an attempt to avoid detection.
Additional video shows him climbing out of the trash can, putting on a hospital gown and leaving the area.
Atlanta police eventually located Pearce underneath a nearby bridge and took him into custody.
According to the original police report, Pearce admitted he had been using drugs before the attack. Investigators also recovered a suspected crack pipe from the hospital.
Willis said prosecutors ultimately agreed to a plea deal in part to spare the victim from having to relive the trauma during a trial.
“We are very happy that we were able to get a resolution that did not retraumatize her to have to go through this situation again, because she is still healing from this,” Willis said.
Willis added that the victim and her family supported the resolution.
“They did not want her to have to be retraumatized, and she did not want to have to go through that, because she is still healing, both from the stroke and this attack,” Willis said.
The attack prompted Grady Memorial Hospital to announce several security changes, including locking inpatient rooms, enhancing visitor screening procedures and implementing additional security measures throughout the facility.
“The victim in this case is completely vulnerable. She’s in the hospital. She’s already suffered a tragedy, which is why she’s in the hospital,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told Channel 2 Action News.
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