The following is a press release issued by the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office:
A Mendocino County Superior Court jury returned from its deliberations before the noon hour Friday morning to announce it had found the trial defendant guilty of six felony charges.
Defendant Rufino Lopez Vazquez, age 42, of Willits, was found guilty of committing the following crimes in Mendocino County:
- Forcible Rape of a Child 14 Years of Age or Older, said crime occurring on or between January 1, 2023 and March 31, 2023;
- Attempted Forcible Rape of a Child 14 Years of Age or Older (same timeframe; separate act/crime);
- Attempted Forcible Rape of a Child 14 Years of Age or Older (same timeframe; separate act/crime);
- Offering to Distribute Harmful Matter (Pornography) to a Minor Child on or between September 1, 2023 and September 22, 2023;
- Offering to Distribute Harmful Matter (Pornography) to a Minor Child on or between September 1, 2023 and September 22, 2023 (same timeframe; separate act/crime); and
- Contacting a Minor Child on or between September 1, 2023 and September 22, 2023 With The Specific Intent of Committing a Sexual Offense Against Said Minor.
After the jurors were excused, the defendant’s case was referred to the Adult Probation Department for a background investigation of the defendant and for the preparation of a written sentencing recommendation.
The defendant was ordered brought from the Sheriff’s Low Gap jail facility to Department A in the Ukiah Courthouse on April 25, 2024 at 9 o’clock in the morning for the formal sentencing hearing.
The law enforcement agency that investigated and developed the evidence relied on at trial to secure the convictions was the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
Additional trial preparation and support was provided by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations.
A special thank you is extended to Professor Mindy Mechanic, a clinical psychologist who was called to testify during this week’s trial as an expert witness on trauma and victimization and how children react to same in the context of a sexual assault case. Dr. Mechanic regularly testifies in courts of law on issues of counterintuitive victim behavior involving sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking.
The prosecutor who presented the People’s evidence to the jury was Senior Deputy District Attorney Eloise Kelsey.
Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Keith Faulder presided over the five-day trial. Judge Faulder will be the sentencing judge on April 25th.
Lock him up and don’t let him out. He will do it again and next time it may be a lot worse. This man is a disgrace to society.
Under 14? What a POS! Put him UNDER THE JAIL. Good luck in prison bastard.
Send him to an island somewhere. In heavy chains. Give him a lifesaver and a leash, put him out in the middle of the pacific 8 hours a day cleaning plastic garbage.
Catch my drift?
I was one of the people on the panel it was very hard for me to sit there and listen to the young girls testimony and everything they had to listen to. I will be back in court on April 25 at 9 AM to see how many years is scumbag gets
I’m sorry you had to go through that and I’m even more sorry the victim had to go through it again. I’m glad he’s getting his due justice. Maybe we should pack the court room that day with signs saying life in prison. He needs to be locked up and left to rot.
Let’s do it!! Because if he doesn’t get life, they will release him somewhere and it might be here.
So sad for this young girl. She will always suffer the affects from this repeated horror. We shouldn’t pay a single penny for his incarceration, with possible release down the road. Death penalty is appropriate.