Man sentenced to prison for rape at knifepoint in Pierce County

A 29-year-old Mexican man who raped two women at knifepoint as part of a seasonal labor program in Pierce County was sentenced Friday to nearly 18 years to life in prison, the upper end of his usual sentence.

A jury convicted Ricardo Villegas Molina in May of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of second-degree rape and second-degree assault for attacks on two women in October 2022.

During the sentencing before Superior Court Judge Edmund Murphy, Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Chenelia said Molina targeted sex workers in Tacoma, women who she said are less likely to report to police and are less likely to be believed by police, prosecutors and juries.

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“The defendant’s actions are completely unjustified and extremely violent. The state believes he will commit these crimes again if he is released,” Chenelia said.

The attorney described to the court the attack a 50-year-old woman suffered after Molina picked her up near Pacific Avenue and 84th Street. According to court documents, Molina drove her to a remote field in the Waller area of ​​Pierce County on the evening of October 7, 2022, and parked behind a pile of debris so no one could see her.

Chenelia said Molina pulled out an 18-inch knife and the woman ran from the car. Molina chased after her and pushed her to the ground, where he sexually assaulted her. Chenelia said Molina kicked the woman and pushed rocks and dirt into her body.

“Somehow she managed to fight for her life and escape,” Chenelia said.

‘Thank you for saving my life.’

The woman addressed the court on July 12. Molina’s sentencing was scheduled for that day and Judge Murphy heard testimony from the victim, but the sentencing itself was postponed until Friday so court documents could be translated for Molina, who speaks Spanish.

The News Tribune does not typically name victims of sexual assault. The woman told the court she is homeless and people treat her differently because of it. She said she wanted to thank the judge and the justice system for taking care of her.

“Thank you for saving my life,” the woman said. “I thought I was surely dead that night.”

On Friday, Chenelia asked Judge Murphy to impose the upper end of the usual sentencing range for each count Molina was convicted of. She said the defendant’s actions were unjustified, premeditated and “extremely violent.” Less than a month after the first attack, Molina raped another woman on Oct. 30, 2022. He first contacted her at a convenience store near 84th Street and Pacific Avenue.

Molina drove the woman to a field just south of the first attack and, according to court records, pulled out a knife and sexually assaulted her. She escaped from the vehicle and prosecutors said the defendant’s DNA linked him to the attack. Prosecutors said they also had GPS evidence linking him to the incidents.

That woman did not testify in court. According to court records, the state was unable to contact her.

Molina was arrested in Fife on November 2, 2022, just three days before he was scheduled to return to Mexico, according to court records. The arrest came after the sheriff’s department showed a sketch of the suspect to the owner of a farm near the attack area. The owner told officers he recognized the man as a migrant worker and then showed them Molina’s vehicle, which was parked in a field.

An interpreter sat next to Molina and defense attorney Kent Underwood throughout Friday’s sentencing hearing. Underwood said his client maintains his innocence and asked the court to consider inconsistencies the attorney noted in the first victim’s testimony.

Underwood asked the court to impose a prison sentence for each count at the lower end of the usual sentencing range, for a total of 14 years to life.

Because Molina was convicted of first-degree rape for the first assault and first-degree kidnapping for the second assault, both serious violent offenses, he must serve his sentences back-to-back rather than concurrently. Certain sex offenses also carry indeterminate sentences, meaning Molina must serve a set amount of time before he can apply to the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board for release.

Joint custody for life

After hearing from prosecutors, the defense, two of Molina’s friends and the defendant, Judge Murphy imposed a prison sentence of 215 months to life. Molina must register as a sex offender and remain in custody for life. He is also prohibited from having any contact with the victims for life.

The two men who supported Molina in court spoke through an interpreter. They said they knew nothing about the man’s case, but they knew he was a hard-working person and a good friend. The first man to speak, Jose Luis Rodriguez Capilla, said he was from the same town as Molina and they had known each other since childhood.

He worked with Molina as a temp for two seasons. Molina has two daughters, and Rodriguez Capilla said it was sad to return to Mexico and hear Molina’s older daughter asking where her father was.

When it was Molina’s turn to address the court, he said his rights had been violated since the trial began. He complained that the two incidents were combined into one case and claimed the victim who testified lied to the court. According to prosecutors, the 18-inch knife described in connection with the first attack has not been found.

“I think this is all unfair,” Molina said, according to the interpreter. “I did not have a fair and proper trial and I want to appeal.”

Molina also described that he believed the jury was biased against him because one juror had been a victim of sexual assault.

“I just want to be treated well and for my rights to be respected. And not to be discriminated against just because I am Mexican,” Molina said, according to the interpreter.

After the trial adjourned, Assistant District Attorney Megan Winder told The News Tribune that Molina made many statements that she said were inconsistent with the evidence. The defendant claimed the second victim’s clothing was intact and not torn as the victim reported. Winder said Chenelia held up the clothing during jurors’ rebuttal arguments and it was cut from top to bottom exactly as the victim described.

Winder said it was true that a victim of sexual violence was on the jury, but that this was not unusual, as there are many victims of sexual violence in the population as a whole. When selecting the jury, it was important to her to find fair and impartial jurors, she said.

“Our goal is not to manipulate the jury in any way,” Winder said. “I think it’s very important to make sure there are people from diverse backgrounds, but a jury of the defendant’s peers.”