Man sentenced to 30 years in prison for childhood sex crimes against sister

Lina Portman7 days ago

0 3 minutes read

A man who lost a case to be tried as a juvenile for sex crimes against his younger sister committed decades ago in Oxnard was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in state prison.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Paul Feldman sentenced defendant Stephen Delacruz to the sentence after an emotional hearing in which his sister tearfully described the ongoing pain and suffering she still faces. He was 14 and 15, while she was about 8 at the time of the crimes committed in the early 2000s in their family home, prosecutors said.

“I would have a completely different life and be a different person if Stephen didn’t rape me and torture me repeatedly,” said the woman, now in her 30s.

The judge said he acknowledged the offences happened “a long time ago” but also heard the pain in the victim's voice and agreed with her statement that she had suffered “the impact of her whole life” as a result of the abuse.

Feldman imposed the sentence just over a month after the 37-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of forcible oral copulation and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object.

Authorities said they became aware of the allegations in 2019 when the woman contacted the Oxnard Police Department.

According to a county probation report sent to the court, she reported the assaults after having flashbacks of childhood experiences that occurred about 20 years earlier. In addition to the sexual abuse, her brother allegedly inflicted psychological abuse by threatening the victim's life, their parents' lives and his own if she told anyone what he was doing to her, according to the report.

Prosecutor Erik Nasarenko, who personally handled the case, asked for a 30-year sentence. After the hearing in a Ventura courtroom, he said the defendant would be eligible for parole at some point, but he didn't know when. Nasarenko said he did not ask for a life sentence without the possibility of parole because the law does not allow that level of punishment for these crimes.

Support for victims

Most of the more than 40 people present at the hearing were there to support the victim. They wore white badges with the words “Protect Children” and a photo of her as a child.

It's the first known case in Ventura County being investigated under a 2023 state law aimed at sending more young people accused of violent crimes into the rehabilitation-focused juvenile system.

Before trying them as adults, judges must determine “by clear and convincing evidence” that the defendants are not “suitable for reentry into the juvenile system. Previously, judges could transfer juveniles to court for adults based on a “preponderance of the evidence,” or essentially evidence weighing more in favor of one side than the other.

Delacruz appealed a decision by Ventura County Superior Court Judge Ferdinand Inumerable to try him as an adult under the new standard.

Delacruz took his case to the state Court of Appeals, but a three-judge panel unanimously upheld the judge’s decision. The judges found that Inumerable had not abused his discretion based on “substantial evidence” of criminal sophistication, the unlikelihood that the defendant could be rehabilitated during the limited two-year period he would spend in juvenile court and the serious nature of the alleged offenses.

The defendant also asked the appeals court to dismiss the case under a 1966 state Supreme Court ruling that failure to consolidate all offenses into the same act can prevent future prosecutions for omitted offenses.

Delacruz’s attorney argued that prosecutors should have filed charges in the early 2000s, when he was accused of sexually assaulting two other girls. Inumerable said it appeared his sister was among a group of potential victims during that time, but she denied being the victim of any type of misconduct.

Inumerable concluded that prosecutors could not prosecute her sister at the time and the appeals court agreed, saying the facts available at the time were insufficient.

Delacruz then asked the California Supreme Court to review the appeals court's decision, but the Supreme Court denied his request in late January. Four months later, he pleaded guilty.

Feldman ordered the defendant held in the county jail until a hearing on July 23 to determine the amount of restitution he owes his sister. Delacruz showed no visible emotion during the hearing, looking at the defense table during the proceedings. He blew his wife a kiss as he left the courtroom.

His lawyer, Moriya Christie, said there was evidence he himself had been a victim of abuse, adding that he had become an abuser as a result. She said she was not trying to minimize his actions, that he took responsibility and was remorseful.

Kathleen Wilson covers justice, mental health and local government issues for the Ventura County Star. Contact her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar,com or 805-206-8805.

Support for victims

Lina Portman

Related Articles

Alleged King Von Killer Has Ties to Charleston White

Justice Department Submits Plea Agreement to Boeing for Alleged Violations of Deferred Prosecution Agreement

Search teams scour Kootenai River for missing kayaker

Man accused of child trafficking and sexual abuse – NBC10 Philadelphia