Convicted serial rapist gets maximum 90-to-life prison sentence

A man convicted of raping three vulnerable Sonoma County women in the summer of 2019 received the maximum prison term of 90 years to life in prison Tuesday.

In determining the sentence, Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Shelly Averill deemed Tirso DeJesus Guzman, 28, a sexual predator and found that his crimes were violent and cruel. She also found that all of the victims were particularly vulnerable when Guzman preyed on them through manipulation and lies, a finding that adds time to his sentence.

On Oct. 25, a jury found Guzman guilty of 11 counts of sexually assaulting the three women from June 2 to Sept. 2 in Sebastopol and Santa Rosa.

“This predator has forfeited his freedom through the commission of these terrible crimes,” District Attorney Jill Ravitch said in announcing the sentencing. “We hope that his sentence will bring some comfort to the victims.”

Guzman’s first known attack occurred June 2, when he met a woman referred to in court as June Doe. After a casual dinner at her house, Guzman surreptitiously drugged her with methamphetamine, which made her incapable of resisting numerous sexual assaults by Guzman over a several-hour period that night.

The jury found Guzman guilty of four counts of sexual assault and determined the allegations of drugging her were true, prosecutors said.

The next night, Guzman came across his second victim, called Joan Doe, while she rested in her car around midnight because she’d been drinking earlier that night. She agreed to consume drugs with Guzman and snorted something he provided, causing her to go in and out of consciousness over a prolonged period of time.

Guzman took her car and drove her around rural areas in West County, where he raped her. He was convicted of four counts of drugging, raping and kidnapping her.

In early September, Guzman befriended 75-year-old Jane Doe at an apartment for seniors where she lived. She felt sorry for him and let him sleep in her home for two nights, prosecutors said.

Jane Doe suffers from severe dementia and was incapable of fending off Guzman’s sexual assaults. The jury found Guzman guilty of two counts of sexually assaulting her.

Her family reported the assaults after learning about the situation, which led police to find and match Guzman’s DNA to the two other victims.

At the sentencing hearing, June Doe told the judge how Guzman violated her body and mind when he drugged and sexually assaulted her.

Joan Doe expressed her pain in trying to deal with the trauma of being raped and kidnapped and how it has affected her ability to function in her daily activities.

Jane Doe’s daughter spoke on behalf of her mother, who was particularly vulnerable and fell victim to Guzman’s manipulations.

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.