San Diego Man Pleads Guilty to Historic Sexual Assault on Minor Sister in Ventura County
A San Diego man has entered a guilty plea over multiple charges of violent sexual assault on his younger sister, perpetrated more than two decades ago, officials in Ventura County reported. Stephen Delacruz, 37, admitted to three counts of forcible rape, three counts of forcible oral copulation, and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object. The saga drew to a close with the defendant also acknowledging that his sister was a minor at the time of the attacks, according to the KTLA.
Delacruz was 14 and 15 when he committed the assaults in 2001 and 2002 while his sister, referred to as Samantha in court documents, was merely 8 years old. He reportedly threatened her with death if she revealed the crimes, using the menace of a knife to intimidate her, the FOX LA reported. This case, which began when Samantha bravely came forward in 2019, was initially filed in juvenile court but moved to the adult system due to the reported severity and calculated nature of the crimes.
The transfer from juvenile to adult court faced a significant hurdle when, in 2022, California altered its criteria, requiring clear and convincing evidence that a minor is not amenable to rehabilitation through the juvenile system. Samantha's case, consequently, was returned to juvenile court, resulting in an agonizing repeat of the process. But in a turn of events the following year, Samantha saw her brother's case moved back to adult court after a judge noted the "horrendous" nature of the allegations, as detailed in a statement obtained by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Commenting on his sister's persistence throughout this protracted ordeal, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko lauded her resilience. "Samantha was incredibly brave, courageous and just never gave up," Nasarenko remarked. Delacruz is expected to face sentencing on June 27, and the prosecution will push for a 30-year state prison term.
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