The primary of two males to go on trial for kidnapping an 11-year-old woman off a Santa Ana road and repeatedly raping her was convicted Thursday of the greater than two-decade-old sexual assault.
An Orange County Superior Court docket jury deliberated for lower than a day earlier than discovering Jose Andres Plascencia, 42, responsible of kidnapping to commit a intercourse crime and 5 counts of rape. His co-defendant — 43-year-old Ismael Salgado — is scheduled to go on trial at a later date.
The 2 males had been accused of abducting the woman on Feb. 3, 1999, driving her to secluded parking heaps and taking turns raping her and holding her down. Plascencia’s lawyer had argued that he was too inebriated that day to recall what had occurred, and questioned whether or not the woman willingly had intercourse with the 2 males.
In keeping with prosecutors, the 11-year-old woman was strolling down Monta Vista Avenue with one other woman after leaving the Jerome Middle in Santa Ana when the motive force of a Honda Civic pulled up subsequent to them. The motive force — who authorities later recognized as Salgado — and a passenger — later recognized as Plascencia — satisfied the 2 women to get into the car, in line with prosecutors.
The ladies determined they needed to get out of the automobile, in line with prosecutors, and the 13-year-old was in a position to exit the car, whereas one of many males allegedly pulled the 11-year-old by the hair and stored her within the car.
Deputy District Legal professional Kristin Bracic advised jurors that the lads first drove to a gasoline station, the place Plascencia held his hand over the woman’s mouth as the motive force went in to pay. The lads then drove the woman to empty parking heaps at Carr Intermediate Faculty and Valley Excessive Faculty, the prosecutor mentioned, the place they raped the woman a number of occasions earlier than lastly dropping her off close to a family members dwelling.
The woman was later in a position to decide the motive force out of surveillance footage from the gasoline station, in line with courtroom filings, however police on the time had been unable to determine him.
In 2011, Salgado pleaded responsible in an unrelated grand theft case, and his DNA pattern was submitted to a regulation enforcement database. That DNA pattern was later tied by investigators to DNA collected from a sexual assault package within the 1999 rape of the 11-year-old woman.
Investigators tracked Salgado down in Chicago, and commenced wanting into Plascencia after studying he had been a buddy of Salgado’s in 1999. A DNA pattern surreptitiously collected from a water bottle Plascencia left in a health club in Arizona was additionally tied to the 1999 sexual assault, in line with courtroom information.
Plascencia’s lawyer, Sharon Marshall, advised jurors that Plascencia incessantly drank and did medication on the time, and mentioned he blacked out that evening. The protection lawyer additionally questioned whether or not the woman willingly had intercourse with the lads, although given their respective ages she couldn't have legally consented.
In keeping with courtroom filings, Plascencia mentioned that when he spoke to Salgado the following day, Salgado advised him that he needed to clear blood off his pants and out of his automobile, and when Plascencia mentioned he didn’t keep in mind what occurred, Salgado allegedly responded that it was higher he didn’t know.
Plascencia is scheduled to return to courtroom for sentencing on April 14.