A man who tried to abduct and rape a 22-year-old stranger as she walked along a Southeast Portland street did the unexpected Friday: He thanked the woman for fighting him off that night.

Just before he was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for the 2016 attack next to the Eastmoreland Golf Course, David Abraham Marcus commended the woman for her courage.

“Your safety, security and perhaps most of all your freedom were put in jeopardy by my selfish, cowardly act,” Marcus said in Multnomah County Circuit Court. “I can imagine how your life was affected in a variety of different ways because of my actions. But it was not your fault.

"I let myself get to the point where I thought it was OK to rape a woman. But you didn't let me,” he said. “Your strength and your bravery won out. Thank God they did. Thank God that I was weakened by the fact that I was doing something both morally and spiritually wrong and that goes against the very fiber of my being.”

The woman chose not attend the sentencing hearing. But Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero left a message with her afterward and will relay Marcus’ statement if the woman says she wants to hear it.

Marrero said the attack was “very, very traumatic” for the woman.

It was just after midnight on June 22, 2016, and the woman was walking home to her parents’ house after going to the store to buy some ice cream. She was at Southeast Bybee Boulevard and 27th Avenue when Marcus suddenly grabbed her from behind using a bear hug. He tried to cover her mouth with his hand because she was screaming so loudly, according to police reports.

Marcus pulled her toward the golf course parking lot, where she saw his SUV and bungee cords and a tarp in back. At one point he pushed her down and then tried to get her into the back of his SUV. But after encountering considerable resistance from the woman, he stopped and told her to run away, according to police reports.

The woman ran to the nearest house with a light on inside and asked the residents to call 911.

The prosecutor noted that Marcus, who is 6 feet and 165 pounds, is considerably bigger than the woman.

“It’s remarkable that she was able to fight him off,” Marrero said.

Police arrived at the scene, but found no trace of the suspect. They also weren’t able to find any DNA that came back a match to anyone in the criminal database.

The case went cold until two people contacted police saying Marcus had told them he was involved in the attempted rape. Police executed a search warrant on Marcus’ home, car and bag and found statements that Marcus had written down that seemed to incriminate him, Marrero said.

Marcus was arrested in March 2017. He had no criminal history.

He has struggled with mental health problems, but court papers don’t state a specific diagnosis. Marcus’ criminal case was put on hold last year while he was treated at Oregon State Hospital. He ultimately was determined mentally fit for prosecution.

Marcus pleaded guilty in December to first-degree kidnapping and attempted first-degree rape. After he serves his prison term, he’s expected to be on supervision for eight years. He also must register as a sex offender.

Here's Marcus’ full statement:

“I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but a year and a half ago I tried to take some things from you that weren’t mine to take.

"Your safety, security and -- perhaps most of all -- your freedom were put in jeopardy by my selfish, cowardly act. I can imagine how your life was affected in a variety of different ways because of my actions.

"But this was not your fault. You do not deserve this. You did nothing wrong. That night was one of the lowest points in my life, and I deeply regret the decision that I made.

"Not to mention that I let myself get to the point where I thought it was OK to rape a woman. But you didn’t let me.

"Your strength and your bravery won out. Thank God they did.

"Thank God that I was weakened by the fact that I was doing something both morally and spiritually wrong and that goes against the very fiber of my being.

"But most of all, thank you for fighting back, not giving up and inspiring me to change.”

-- Aimee Green