A man admitted that he raped his little sister at their Ventura County home many years ago.
Sixteen felonies were charged against Stephen Delacruz, 37. These included three counts of forced rape, three counts of forcible oral copulation, and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object. Delacruz also agreed with the extra charges that the victim was younger than 18 years old.
The Ventura County DA’s Office says that the woman went to the Oxnard Police Department in 2019 to say that her brother had raped her when she was eight years old.
Police said Delacruz would lock the girl in their Oxnard home and threaten to kill her if she ever told anyone about the crimes. He always had a knife with him. They were about six years apart in age.
When the charges were first brought in juvenile court, the District Attorney’s office said Delacruz was 14 and 15 years old at the time of the crimes. But the case was finally moved to adult court because the crimes were so complex, violent, and bad. The whole process of moving took around two years.
“This is a day that I thought may never come, and I am thankful that this violent criminal will no longer be a threat to our community,” she said.
Delacruz admitted to three counts of rape, three counts of forced oral copulation, and two counts of digital penetration on May 14.
“She kept fighting for justice and to be heard in court, even though there were setbacks and delays many times.” “The legal process did work in the end because she was determined to see her brother held responsible for these terrible crimes,” said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko.
He is going to get his sentence on June 27. He could go to jail for up to 30 years.