“Depraved” rape of young mom was witnessed by friends after attackers live streamed assault on Instagram, SF court told
Three men accused of a “depraved” rape of an unconscious young mother, and live streaming the attack on the victim’s own Instagram account, appeared in a San Francisco court today.
Prosecutors say Brayan Badillo Escamilla, 23, Brayan Espinoza Espinoza, 18, and Brian Vargas Alba, 18, sexually assaulted the 20-year-old woman as they drove her to San Francisco on June 14.
Another man, Leonel Moreno Espinoza, 19, is alleged to have filmed the attacks from the front passenger seat.
SFPD officers, alerted by the victim’s friends who were watching the scenes unfold on their phones, intercepted the car on Cesar Chavez Street, rescued the woman, and arrested the men.
“The behavior by all four men is depraved and abhorrent, showing absolutely no regard for the victim’s well-being and doing the most they could to shame and traumatize her,” assistant district attorney Katherine Wells told the court in a motion to detain.
The court was told that the victim had been at a party in Sonoma County on the evening of June 14 – the first time she had gone out with her friends since giving birth some weeks earlier. She agreed to leave the party with the defendants who set out to drive her to San Francisco.
She told police that she had had eight drinks and that she drank more in the car.
The attack occurred during the ride, and while parked in San Francisco.
Prosecutors say videos recovered by police show the unresponsive victim, naked from the waist down, sandwiched on the back seat between Badillo Escamillo and Espinoza Espinoza.
Badillo Escamillo, Wells said, is seen raping her, while Espinoza Espinoza indecently assaults her. Vargas Alba is seen molesting the victim from the driver’s seat.
“Due to the video being posted on the victim’s Instagram account her friends witnessed her rape in, essentially, real time,” wrote prosecutor Katherine Wells in her motion to detain.
“The defendants operated in concert to rape and sexually assault the victim. Defendant Espinoza Espinoza was a friend to the victim who knew she was postpartum with a…baby. Still he perpetrated a heinous sexual assault on upon her and, in his presence, did nothing to prevent the other defendants from sexually assaulting her and raping her.”
“All the while Moreno Espinoza was filming the assaults and it was posted to the victim’s Instagram account, further humiliating her and creating a lasting record of her assault for all of the internet, including her friends and acquaintances, to see”
“The behavior by all four men is depraved and abhorrent, showing absolutely no regard for the victim’s well-being and doing the most they could to shame and traumatize her.” Each defendant earlier pleaded not guilty to a battery of felony sexual assault charges.
Badillo Escamilla, Espinoza Espinoza and Vargas Alba, appeared today in Department 10 of San Francisco’s Hall of Justice before visiting Judge Gregory Syren.
Syren refused to grant Espinoza Espinoza pretrial release
Espinoza Espinoza’s attorney, Richard Tan, asked the court to grant his client bail. He noted that a portion of the first video showed the victim “smiling, conscious, and screaming at the cellphone – it is not a scream of terror,” and said that his client wouldn’t be danger to the victim or anyone else.
Wells protested that the victim – “in a state of complete vulnerability” – obviously would not have felt in danger at that point.
“Of course not,” said Wells. “she thought that he was a friend and he had her best interests at heart…and not throw her into a lions’ den with three rapists who are also going to sexually assault her.”
“The victim and her mother are here because they strong agree with the people’s position,” Wells added, drawing the judge’s attention to a videoconference screen.
“They want the defendants to stay in custody – they feel extremely vulnerable and scared.”
“The court does make a finding by clear and convincing evidence that there are not effective and meaningful conditions that the court can place on Espinoza Espinoza to assure public safety,” concluded Syren.
All three defendants were ordered to appear on August 5 for a preliminary hearing. Vargas Alba will next appear on July 21 at which, the court heard, an effort to secure his release may be made.
The fourth defendant, Leonel Moreno Espinoza, was earlier granted bail and then failed to appear in court.
The case continues.