A Forest Hill man was convicted Monday of raping an 18-year-old woman behind her family home near the Rock Spring Swim Club in Bel Air in 2023.

Kareem Parker, 30, was convicted of first-degree rape, second-degree rape and sexual offense in the third degree in Circuit Court, according to the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office.

A few weeks before the rape, Parker and the 18-year-old woman were communicating on Instagram, but Parker began threatening her if she didn’t continue to engage with him, according to charging documents.

On Aug. 26, the victim was walking in the woods behind her family home to meet Parker, and he threatened her again if she didn’t do what he wanted, charging documents say.

Parker showed a knife and pushed the victim to the ground, causing her to black out, charging documents state. When she regained consciousness, she found her pants halfway down her legs and was experiencing pain in her genitals.

She went home and told her mother, and then they reported the rape to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. Harford Memorial Hospital conducted a forensic exam and obtained DNA evidence.

The exam showed that the injuries to the victim were traumatic and extensive. Sheriff’s deputies searched Parker’s apartment and took his DNA.

At first, during his arrest Aug. 6, Parker denied all sexual contact with the victim. Parker is being held at the Harford County Detention Center until sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled.

“We are obviously disappointed with the jury verdict,” said John Janowich, Parker’s attorney from the Public Defender’s Office. “We will now focus on the sentencing and appellate phase of this trial.”