Three immigrant men from Guatemala have either pleaded guilty or been sentenced for kidnapping and then gang-raping a deaf woman in Santa Fe, New Mexico in June 2021. Another immigrant accused of being the leader of the organization has reportedly since fled to Guatemala.
Oscar Rene Juarez López, a 45-year-old Guatemalan national, was sentenced this week to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to rape and kidnapping. santa fe new mexican food report.
Deputy District Attorney Haley Murphy said López was the victim of Orwin Erlandi Lemus Cardona, 26, Edward Climaco Bellis, 34, and Josué Donald, all immigrants from Guatemala. He and Leon Cartagena, 21, allegedly forcibly molested the woman. In the early morning of June 13, 2021, in the car.
Murphy said the woman was then gang-raped by four men during an “hour-long nightmare” and treated “like meat in a pack of wolves.” Prosecutors say some of the rapes were filmed.
After gang-raping her, the men dropped her off at her home. The woman hurriedly called the police and underwent a sexual assault examination at a nearby hospital.
In February, Cardona was found guilty by a jury in Santa Fe of kidnapping, conspiracy and sexual penetration. He is awaiting sentencing and could face up to 43 years in prison.
Velis pleaded guilty last May to charges of conspiracy and sexual penetration. He could be sentenced to up to 18 years in prison, but under the terms of his plea agreement, he is expected to serve 13 years in prison.
Cartagena, believed to be the ringleader of the gang rape, is believed by police to have returned to Guatemala and a warrant for his arrest is still out. Prosecutors said Cartagena had previously admitted his involvement in the gang rape and identified three other men.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Please email jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
