NAPA, Calif. - Convicted serial rapist Santiago Torres Mendez Jr was sentenced to 215 years to life in prison on Wednesday without the possibility of parole, according to the Napa County District Attorney's Office.
Napa County officials said the 31-year-old's crimes spanned throughout Napa, Sacramento, and Humboldt counties. Some of the five victims included minors.
In November, Mendez was convicted of six counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual penetration by foreign objects, and four counts of felony assault.
In addition to the 215 years, Mendez was sentenced to an extra 14 years during a hearing Wednesday, all to be served consecutively.
Officials said four of the victims were raped by Mendez and that a fifth one was assaulted with the intention of rape.
When Mendez was arrested in the early hours of April 28, 2021, he was with an 18-year-old victim in a remote part of Napa County.
Mendez strangled the victim to the point she fell unconscious. When she came to, the victim said Mendez was raping her on the side of the road.
He then continued to rape her both inside and outside the car before she was able to escape and call the police. Sheriff's deputies took Mendez into custody when they arrived and learned he had more victims.
According to the DA's office, Mendez took advantage of a position of trust to get access to his victims.
"This sentence ensures that Santiago Torres Mendez Jr. will never again harm another person or endanger our community," said Deputy DA Kristen Orlando. "We will not tolerate such predatory behavior in our community and remain committed to holding offenders accountable for their actions."
‘Took advantage of a position of trust’
What we don't know:
Officials said some of his victims were under 18, but did not say how many victims or what age they were when the crimes occurred. Additionally, it's unclear if Mendez knew his victims and targeted them, or if they were random.
It's also unclear when the first rape occurred.
The Source: The Napa County District Attorney's Office