3 More Sanchez Victims Alleged

Ventura County prosecutors on Tuesday added three women to the list of victims of rape suspect Vincent Sanchez, who was earlier charged with the murder and attempted rape of 20-year-old Moorpark resident Megan Barroso.

News of the additional alleged victims came as Sanchez’s lawyer announced that his client is ready to plead guilty to most of the crimes, except any charges involving Barroso.

The new allegations were part of a grand jury indictment unsealed Tuesday that charges the 30-year-old handyman with 79 felonies, 104 special allegations and three special circumstances that make him eligible for the death penalty.

A decision on whether to seek the death penalty could take about two months, said Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Greg Totten. Sanchez’s trial could start before the end of the year, Totten added.

“It was an intensive and troublesome investigation,” Totten said during a news conference at the Ventura County Jail. “Our hearts go out to the many victims in this case. They should be recognized for their commitment, courage and strength.”

Prosecutors allege Sanchez committed or attempted to commit 46 sexual assaults on 15 women between September 1996 and last month, in addition to kidnapping, burglary, false imprisonment and carjacking.

The sex crimes victims include Barroso, who was last seen alive July 5 leaving a friend’s house after a holiday celebration. Her rental car was found abandoned and full of bullet holes about a mile from her Moorpark home at 2:30 a.m. the same day, and her body was discovered a month later in a remote canyon near Sanchez’s Simi Valley home.

The additional victims include two Ventura County women whom Sanchez allegedly attempted to rape and a third woman from Woodland Hills who was kidnapped, raped and robbed four days after Barroso was reported missing.

The San Fernando Valley woman was tied up and kidnapped at knifepoint in Woodland Hills on July 9 and then driven to Sanchez’s Simi Valley home, where she was sexually assaulted for two days before being robbed of $41 in cash and her driver’s license, authorities said.

Totten said evidence found inside Sanchez’s home, which was searched by police after his arrest July 27 for allegedly burglarizing a neighbor’s home, led authorities to the additional victims.

Ventura County Chief Deputy Public Defender Neil Quinn said after the news conference that he was disappointed prosecutors had sought a grand jury indictment considering they had already charged his client with a majority of the crimes after his arrest.

Lawyer Sees No Need for Grand Jury Action

Prosecutors often seek an indictment--even after formal charges have been filed--because it allows a case to go from arraignment to trial, bypassing a preliminary hearing, during which testimony is often presented.

Officials said they wanted to spare the rape victims from testifying more than needed, and the indictment also prevents defense attorneys from cross-examining victims and other witnesses before trial.

“We feel the grand jury proceedings were not necessary to resolve the sexual assault charges,” Quinn said. “Mr. Sanchez has acknowledged responsibility for multiple sexual assaults and we are looking forward to resolving those charges relating to the break-ins and the sexual assaults in Simi Valley in a manner that minimizes any further trauma to the victims.”

Quinn said he came to the case late after taking over from another public defender who is preparing for another trial. He said Sanchez plans to enter guilty pleas to a majority of the charges, except those involving Barroso, at “the first available and prudent” time.

Quinn said his client denies the slaying, attempted sexual assault and kidnapping of Barroso. The charges involving the Moorpark College student are what make Sanchez eligible for the death penalty.

If convicted of the other crimes not involving Barroso, Sanchez could be sentenced to 42 consecutive life terms, said Totten, the prosecutor.

The crimes in the indictment include the 46 sexual or attempted sexual assaults, seven kidnappings or attempted kidnappings for the purpose of rape, 11 residential burglaries with the intent of committing a sexual assault, four robberies, three carjackings, one count of false imprisonment, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon or by force likely to cause great bodily injury and one second-degree burglary.

Totten said most of the charges also allege that Sanchez used a knife or gun during the crimes. An arraignment is set for today. Sanchez earlier pleaded not guilty to 57 of the same charges.

Meanwhile, Barroso’s mother, Suzan Barroso, said during a telephone interview that she is glad prosecutors sought an indictment but was alarmed to hear about more victims.

“I am happy to hear that things are going to speed up in the case, but I am dismayed to find out that there are more victims than originally thought. At the same time, it’s good he is in custody because it’s one less menace on the street,” she said.

The indictment charges Sanchez with the first-degree murder of Barroso with three special circumstances: murder during the commission of kidnapping, murder during the commission of kidnapping with specific intent to kill, and murder during the commission and attempted commission of rape.

5 Women Were Attacked Last Year

The latest counts involving the additional sex crimes victims include a woman whom Sanchez allegedly tried to run down in his truck and attempted to kidnap and rape on Oct. 1, 2000. The other victim’s house was broken into on Sept. 26, 1996, and she was assaulted with the intent of rape, officials said.

According to prosecutors, Sanchez terrorized Simi Valley for more than five years, raping or attempting to rape young, brown-haired women in their homes or in his vehicle after kidnapping them. The alleged rapist’s most active period was last year, when five women reported being attacked.

Authorities suspect Sanchez’s violent conduct escalated to murder with the slaying of Barroso.

The engine was still running and blood was found inside Barroso’s rented car. Authorities found assault rifle casings, part of an assault rifle and Barroso’s shoes at the scene.

After a massive search, Barroso’s half-clothed body was discovered Aug. 4 under brush in a canyon southeast of Simi Valley. The cause of death was an assault rifle wound to the abdomen.

During searches of Sanchez’s vehicles and rental house on Woodrow Avenue, detectives found photographs and videos of naked women bound and gagged, Barroso’s jacket and the AK-47 assault rifle that killed her. Authorities have refused to say whether Barroso and other victims were randomly sought or if they were stalked.

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Times staff writer Tracy Wilson contributed to this story.