A 30-year-old Corona man was found guilty by a jury today of forcibly raping
one prostitute and attempting to rape another at knife point. Gilberto Cruz Silva faces a
maximum sentence of 36 years to life in state prison at his Jan. 21 sentencing in
Westminster.
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Besides refusing to pay the women, Sir Dreamboat got into a violent
knife fight in the back of his van with the second woman, who managed to
escape after he head-butted her, as the Orange County District Attorney's Office statement below reveals.
November 30, 2010
MAN CONVICTED OF FORCIBLY RAPING PROSTITUTE AND ATTEMPTING TO RAPE ANOTHER AT KNIFE-POINT
WESTMINSTER – A man was found guilty by a jury today of forcibly raping
one woman and attempting to rape another at knife point after picking
them up as prostitutes and refusing to pay for sex. Gilberto Cruz Silva,
30, Corona, was convicted of one felony count each of forcible rape,
assault with the intent to commit rape, and criminal threats. The
sentencing enhancements and allegations for the personal use of a deadly
weapon and causing great bodily injury were found true. Silva faces a
maximum sentence of 36 years to life in state prison at his sentencing
on Jan. 21, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. in Department W-9, West Justice Center,
Westminster.
At approximately 2:00 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2009, Silva picked up prostitute
Jane Doe #1 in his 1997 green Chevrolet Astro Van on Harbor Boulevard
in Santa Ana. The defendant drove with the victim to a nearby mobile
home park and parked in a secluded area. Silva pulled out a knife and
told Jane Doe #1 he wanted to have sex but had no money. Silva then
forcibly raped the victim at knife point. Jane Doe #1 was able to flee.
The victim went to the hospital and the Santa Ana Police Department
(SAPD) was contacted.
A few hours later, at approximately 4:00 a.m., Silva picked up
prostitute Jane Doe #2 in his van in the same area where he picked-up
Jane Doe #1. The defendant drove with the victim to the same mobile home
park and parked in a secluded area. Silva pulled out a knife and
demanded the victim to have sex with him, forcing Jane Doe #2 to produce
her own knife in self-defense. Silva engaged in a violent knife fight
with the victim in the back of his van. Silva grabbed Jane Doe#2,
head-butted her, and said “I'm going to kill you.” During the struggle
the victim was able to escape.
Silva crashed into several parked cars while fleeing the scene. The
defendant drove to his home in Corona and went to the hospital for his
stab wounds sustained during the struggle with Jane Doe #2. Silva
reported to local police that he was attacked by a prostitute. The SAPD
was contacted.
Deputy District Attorney Robert Mestman of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.
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