BEAUFORT, SC (AP) -- A Lowcountry man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury found him guilty of kidnapping a couple and raping a woman.

Prosecutors say Alfonzo Howard abducted a married couple at gunpoint from a downtown Beaufort parking lot in May 2006, robbing them of $900, then sexually assaulting the wife.

The husband cried as the verdict returned, saying he hoped one day to be able to forgive Howard now that he was being punished.

Howard's lawyer says DNA evidence casts doubt on his guilt.

A co-defendant, Lorenzo Hicks, testified against Howard. He was sentenced to 20 years after pleading guilty to kidnapping, armed robbery, and carjacking.

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