Contact: Heidi Smith
Deputy
District Attorney
Special
Assault & Child Abuse Unit
Telephone: (916) 874-4269
District Attorney Jan Scully announced today that on November 7, 2005,
Phillip Tafoya was convicted of raping five women, four of whom were
engaging in prostitution when the rapes occurred. Today the Honorable David
De Alba sentenced Mr. Tafoya to 47 years plus 8 months to life for those
crimes.
The defendant threatened to arrest the victims and used an Army Criminal
Investigations Division (“CID”) badge to induce the women to have sex with
him to avoid going to jail.
Four of the victims delayed reporting fearing that they would not be
believed and they would get into trouble. The final victim obtained the
license plate number on the vehicle the defendant was driving and placed a
used condom the defendant used during the rape in her freezer to preserve
the defendant’s DNA evidence. The preservation of this evidence as well as
the thorough investigation by Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, Sacramento
Police Department and the District Attorney Criminal Investigators along
with all of the victims testifying, led to the capture and conviction of
Phillip Tafoya.
Deputy District Attorney Heidi Smith stated, “I am proud of these women for
coming forward and giving the system a chance to prove that the law applies
equally to everyone. It was extremely difficult for them to tell a room full
of strangers the sordid details of their lifestyles. I also commend the
Police Department, Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney Investigator
Tiffany Keller for their thorough investigation and on going dedication to
these cases. The jury’s verdicts in this case are a good example for our
community that the law protects everyone no matter who they are and the
lifestyles they choose.”
