ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – A man convicted of raping and robbing a woman behind a St. Paul gas station has been sentenced to 27 years.

Demetrius Jermaine Miller was sentenced to 23 years for first-degree criminal sexual conduct and an additional four years for first-degree aggravated robbery.

According to a criminal complaint, Miller started talking with the victim on the evening of May 18, 2010 at a gas station near the intersection of Hamline and University avenues. As she was leaving, the man asked her for a cigarette.

The victim told police that Miller proceeded to drag her into an alley, punched her in the face, removed her shorts and underwear, and sexually assaulted her. He also stole her cell phone and iPod, the victim said.

Police arrested Miller on May 19 at a St. Paul apartment.

“Given the brazen nature of this crime, we are very pleased with the length of this sentence,” said Ramsey County Attorney John Choi in a released statement. “This unspeakably violent act shook an entire community.”

A Ramsey County jury convicted Miller in October.