4 months ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A convicted serial rapist who terrorized women successful the Tower District successful the 90's whitethorn beryllium released connected parole.
In 1991, 59-year-old Rudolph Martin Acosta was sentenced to 78 years successful authorities prison for sexually assaulting astatine slightest 9 women. Mirna Garcia is 1 of Acosta's victims and said the trauma she experienced volition ne'er spell away.
"I volition ne'er beryllium capable to unrecorded successful peace. I'm serving a beingness condemnation arsenic well," Garcia said.
It's been implicit 30 years since Acosta was convicted of torturing women ages 16 to 30 successful the Tower District. He was 25 erstwhile helium committed the attacks.
District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said Acosta's eligibility for parole nether California's Youthful Offender Law is unacceptable.
"Rudolph Acosta was not a confused teenager. He was an big antheral who planned and preyed connected women and children," Smittcamp said.
Smittcamp called retired California lawmakers and said the Youthful Offender Law is flawed.
"They're portrayed to beryllium these large savings, the large savings effect that we person connected our precise costly situation system. But they are a re-victimization of these guiltless women," Smittcamp said.
Community leaders urged the nationalist to nonstop letters to the California Board of Parole Hearings by Thursday, May 22, earlier the June 6 hearing.
Garcia talked astir enduring a beingness of suffering since Acosta's brutal attack.
"I dropped retired of school; I got kicked retired of my home. I became stateless because, unfortunately, being a first-generation Latino calved here, my begetter thought it was my fault," Garcia said.
Mayor and erstwhile Police Chief Jerry Dyer was a Fresno constabulary sergeant erstwhile Acosta was caught.
"We were going aft immoderate of the astir convulsive criminals successful Fresno. And I volition accidental that nary were much convulsive than Rudy Acosta," Dyer said.
