(KRON) — A Napa County judge sentenced a serial rapist to serve the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for crimes involving five victims in Napa, Sacramento, and Humboldt counties.
Santiago Torres Mendez Jr., 31, of Napa, was sentenced by Judge Elia Ortiz at a hearing attended by several survivors Wednesday.
Two months ago, a jury convicted Mendez of six counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping, and four 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 woman to a remote area. He strangled her until she lost consciousness, prosecutors said. When she regained consciousness, Mendez was forcibly raping her on the side of the road, prosecutors said.
“Mendez continued to sexually assault her both outside and inside of the car until she was able
to escape and call the police. Deputies responded to the scene to help the woman and took Mendez into custody,” the District Attorney’s Office wrote.