(KRON) — A Napa County choose sentenced a serial rapist to serve the remainder of his life in jail with out the potential of parole for crimes involving 5 victims in Napa, Sacramento, and Humboldt counties.
Santiago Torres Mendez Jr., 31, of Napa, was sentenced by Choose Elia Ortiz at a listening to attended by a number of survivors Wednesday.
Two months in the past, a jury convicted Mendez of six counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping, and 4 counts of felony assault following a trial.
The Napa County crimes that led to Mendez’s arrest occurred on April 28, 2021, when Mendez drove an 18-year-old girl to a distant space. He strangled her till she misplaced consciousness, prosecutors mentioned. When she regained consciousness, Mendez was forcibly raping her on the facet of the highway, prosecutors mentioned.
“Mendez continued to sexually assault her both outside and inside of the car until she was ableto escape and call the police. Deputies responded to the scene to help the woman and took Mendez into custody,” the District Lawyer’s Workplace wrote.
Through the investigation, detectives found that Mendez had sexually assaulted 4 extra extra victims in Northern California, which resulted in extra expenses.
Napa County Deputy District Attorneys Kristen Orlando and Michelle Roberts prosecuted thecase.
“This sentence ensures that Santiago Torres Mendez Jr. will never again harm another person,” Orlando mentioned. “His crimes were calculated, violent, and left a lasting impact on the lives of his victims.”
“The defendant’s actions were heinous, premeditated, and demonstrated a complete disregardfor human dignity,” Roberts added.