Suspected Serial Rapist, Former Mexican Police Officer Sentenced To 72+ Years In Prison
By Tori Mason
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4)- A former Mexican police officer and suspected serial rapist, convicted of a brutal rape in Aurora, has been sentenced to more than 72 years in prison.
A judge in Arapahoe County sentenced Ricardo Corral-Venegas to what will likely be the rest of his life behind bars on Wednesday morning.
Corral-Venegas, 27, was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in her home in Aurora and trying to assault a second woman in December of last year. He was also convicted of kidnapping and two burglary charges.
According to one of his victims, the last time Corral-Venegas was in court he turned and winked at her. The woman, who asked only to be identified as Katelyn, was in court Wednesday morning when he received his sentence.
Katelyn was in her Aurora home when Corral-Venegas forced his way inside and raped her with her baby in the home in October 2016.
Her family was by her side in court Wednesday, convincing the judge why her attacker should spend life in prison.
The assault left Katelyn with PTSD, anxiety and depression. Not to mention the emotional toll it's taken on her loved ones.
Court documents show Corral-Venegas is a former police officer in Mexico where local news reports identified him as "the motorcycle rapist," suspected of barging into homes, raping women and fleeing on a black and red motorcycle. He fled those allegations.
There are victims of Corral-Venegas' crimes in Mexico who never got justice. Katelyn hopes this sentence can bring them some peace.
"I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to represent every other woman in this case who was violated and hurt. I'm empathetic to them that they didn't have their day in court. I hope that him being in jail here gives them some sense of justice. I know it's not the same, but I did what I could to represent all of us," said Katelyn.
Another young woman who Corral-Venegas tried to sexually assault days after Katelyn also spoke at his sentencing. She wishes to remain anonymous.
While Katelyn was able to fight off her attacker, she's still left traumatized by the events. She said even though the attack made her lose trust in humanity, she's glad Corral-Venegas "made the mistake of coming to her door."
She said if he didn't, the good Samaritan who saw him running from the scene wouldn't have called 911, and he'd still be out there victimizing other women.
Tori Mason is an award-winning reporter for CBS4 This Morning. Follow her on Twitter @ToriMasonTV.
