On August 27, 2010, a jury found 20-year-old Artis Hooks of Visalia guilty of raping and assaulting two Visalia women as they slept in their home. After a weeklong trial, the jury deliberated for an hour-and-a-half before reaching a verdict late Friday evening. The jury found the defendant guilty of two counts of forcible rape, one count of forcible sexual penetration, one count of attempted forcible rape, residential burglary, two counts of criminal threats, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. The jury also found the special allegations for the use of a butcher knife during the crimes, for committing sexual assaults against more than one victim, and committing a burglary with the intent to commit a sex crime to be true.

On July 19, 2009, the defendant broke into the Visalia apartment where both victims were asleep in their separate bedrooms. The defendant was a neighbor who lived nearby and had been able to see into their bedrooms. He entered the home with a butcher knife and made both women watch while he sexually assaulted the other. Both women were able to fight off the attacker after they noticed that he dropped the knife onto the floor. One victim ran naked into the street to get help. The other was able to run to a neighbor’s home to call 911. The Visalia Police Department received calls from neighbors who heard women screaming and saw a male running shirtless from the area.

On July 25, 2009, detectives spotted a suspect that matched the description that the victims provided. They compared the suspect’s fingerprints against latent fingerprints that were lifted at the scene of the crime. The prints matched, and the victims were able to identify him as the man who broke into their home and sexually assaulted them. Artis Hooks now faces a sentence of 85 years to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for September 27, 2010 in front of the Honorable Judge Gerald Sevier who presided over the case.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Mikki Verissimo. The case was investigated by Visalia Police Department Detective Ozvaldo Dominguez and Investigator John Lee from the District Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Investigations.

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