A jury this week found an Oxnard man guilty of having sex with minors but remained deadlocked on one rape charge.
Luciano Tovar Quiroz, 39, was found guilty Thursday of committing a lewd act on a child under 14, two counts of forcible rape, two counts of child molest on a 14- or 15-year-old and four other sex charges.
The jury deadlocked 10-2 on one rape count and a special allegation enhancement. One juror, who voted not guilty on that count, questioned the prosecution’s duress theory.
Deputy District Attorney Patrice Koenig said the abuse involved two female relatives of Quiroz and took place between 2004 and 2008.
One victim was 12 when the sexual contact began, Koenig said. The other abuse occurred when the victims were between 14 and 17, Koenig said.
During the 2 1/2-week trial, the two victims, now adults, testified there were instances when the sexual contacts were consensual.
“In my opinion, it was not consensual by any normal stretch of the imagination, because they were under 18,” Koenig said.
On the rape count that jurors deadlocked on, Koenig said, “It is our position that this explained not only this one act but also why it continued for so long and why (both victims) didn’t report it.”
Quiroz will be back in court for sentencing on May 30. He faces a maximum sentence of 24 years in state prison. If jurors had found him guilty of the rape charge with the special allegation, Quiroz could have faced twice as much time, Koenig said.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/may/02/jury-finds-oxnard-man-guilty-9-sex-abuse-charges-i/?partner=popular#ixzz30gVo60R3
- vcstar.com
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