On November 17, 2009, the Honorable Patrick O’Hara sentenced 25-year-old Cruz Acevedo, of Plainview, to 39 years to life in state prison. The defendant was convicted by a Tulare County jury on October 9, 2009. The jury found him guilty of multiple counts, including sexual penetration with a foreign object, kidnap to commit sexual penetration, torture, simple kidnap and corporal injury to a former co-habitant. All counts contained special allegations including tying and binding, torture, deadly weapon and great bodily injury.

The conviction was the result of events that occurred on August 20, 2007 in the city of Plainview. On that date, the defendant choked the victim unconscious and dragged her into a vineyard. He continued to beat, kick, and hit her with sticks and eventually tied her to a tree and sexually assaulted her. He then fled the county. The victim was beaten so badly that she required medical attention at Sierra View Hospital. The jury also heard about a prior domestic victim of the defendant who was battered by him in May of 2005. Both his current victim and the prior victim are from the Porterville area.

At the sentencing, Judge O’Hara told the defendant that in his over 20 years on the bench this was one of the most vicious brutal attacks on another human being he has ever known.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Mikki Verissimo. The case was initially investigated by TCSO Detective Cesar Fernandez. It was further investigated by the DA Investigator, Joe Benavides.

Contact Person: Shani Jenkins, Assistant District Attorney (559) 733-6411.