(Woodland, CA) – November 16, 2017 – District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that on November 15, 2017, a Yolo County jury convicted Elmer David Rodriguez, 26, of Woodland, of torture, felony domestic violence, infliction of great bodily injury and use of a deadly weapon, sodomy, rape, oral copulation, criminal threats, vandalism, and dissuading a witness. Rodriguez committed these crimes over a two month period against a young woman with whom he was dating. These crimes were not brought to the attention of law enforcement until he hospitalized the victim on February 18, 2017.
The West Sacramento Police Department responded to the emergency room late evening February 18, 2017. At that time, the young woman reported to police that Rodriguez had repeatedly beat her two times that week, including on Valentine’s Day. She disclosed Rodriguez repeatedly stomped on her chest and legs, kicked her rib cage, beat her with a hammer, and punched her arms. The medical examination showed the young lady suffered multiple rib fractures, injury to her kidney, and her body was covered in purple bruises. The West Sacramento Police Department located and arrested Rodriguez shortly after the young lady disclosed the abuse.
The District Attorney’s Office charged Rodriguez with the numerous crimes Rodriguez committed against the victim in January and February 2017. Rodriguez was convicted of a prior domestic violence crime in 2013 against the same victim and a 2015 conviction against another young woman. Rodriguez also was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in 2015 for beating his friend with a glass and a skateboard causing severe damage to the young man’s ear and a facial fracture.
At trial, the jury heard evidence from Rodriguez’ prior victims, the young woman he assaulted in this case, and from a prior girlfriend, about Rodriguez’ acts of physical and sexual violence he committed against them. The current victim and prior victim Rodriguez beat disclosed many similarities in how Rodriguez sexually assaulted them and beat them. They described how he burned them with a cigarette lighter, stomped on their chests, kicked their rib cages, urinated and spit on them, and how Rodriguez repeatedly punched them in the head.
These young women, and Rodriguez’ former friend, bravely confronted Rodriguez at trial when testifying about the abuse he inflicted upon them.
Deputy District Attorney Tiffany Susz prosecuted the case. “The evidence the brave victims offered at trial was compelling and critical in ending Rodriguez reign of terror upon our community of young women,” said Susz. “The verdicts reflect the commitment of the jury to perform their civic duty in a serious and emotional case.”
District Attorney Jeff Reisig commended the law enforcement efforts of the West Sacramento Police Department, the District Attorney’s Investigations Bureau, the FBI, the Davis Police Department, and the Woodland Police Department, and Victim Services advocate Estela Morales for their hard work in this case.
Rodriguez faces life in prison. The Honorable Timothy L. Fall presided over the trial and will sentence Rodriguez on January 12, 2018 at 9:00 AM.
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