(Woodland, CA) – January 12, 2018 — District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that on January 12, 2018, the Honorable Timothy L. Fall sentenced Elmer David Rodriguez, 26, of Woodland, to prison for a total of 84 years to life. Rodriguez will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
On November 15, 2017, a Yolo County jury convicted Rodriguez for committing torture, sodomy, rape, oral copulation, numerous felony domestic violence crimes, which included use of a deadly weapon, criminal threats, vandalism, and dissuading a witness for crimes he committed against a young woman he had a dating relationship with. 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.
At trial, the jury heard evidence from the young woman Rodriguez brutally beat, tortured, and raped. The jury also heard evidence at the trial that Rodriguez had suffered a prior domestic violence conviction in 2013 against the same young woman and a 2015 conviction against another young woman he had a relationship with. The jury further heard evidence that Rodriguez had a conviction for 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. The young women bravely testified in front of the jury about Rodriguez’ acts of physical and sexual violence he committed against them. The current young woman, and prior young woman, 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.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Fall listened to the young woman address him and the defendant about the impact these heinous acts have had on her life. He also listened to a statement from the young woman he similarly abused in 2015 about the impact testifying at this trial had on her as she had to recall and relive the prior physical and sexual assaults he committed against her two years ago. In response, Judge Fall discussed the horrific injuries the young women suffered and how the trial evidence showed Rodriguez has a pattern of grooming young women, isolating them from their friends and families so that he can emotionally, verbally, and physically abuse them.
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