Calendar of Events and Posts
Jul
8
Suspected Rapist Still Walking Streets of Puerto Viejo
Posted by Editor | July 8, 2008 | Categories: Crime & Punishment |
The serial rapist who judicial officials believe has preyed on at least seven women including a 16-year old girl is still walking the streets in Puerto Viejo, they said.
Agents believe they know who the rapist is, said a judicial official Wednesday. But the one case that may have enough evidence for a conviction, hasn’t even gotten the suspect in preventative detention. Instead the suspect must simply sign in to the prosecutor every 15 days, said a court spokeswoman.
In January of 1997, a court sentenced the suspect, Rolando Alonso Brown Humphreys, to 13 years in prison for rape. Brown only served six of those 13 years, said Guillermo Bermúdez, the regional director of the Judicial Investigation Organization in Limón. “His sentence was probably cut in half for good behavior. He may have swept the floors and helped clean,” said Bermúdez. Brown was released in 2003.
Since 2003, eight women have reported rapes or attempted rapes in the Puerto Viejo area, said Bermúdez. Three of the reported rapes were this year, said the Limón judicial director.
And officials believe there may be more victims. “Many may not have reported the crime since they left the country or were scared,” said César Villalobos, the regional judicial director of the Judicial Investigation Organization in Bribri. After numerous lab results came back inconclusive or negative, officials did not have enough evidence to arrest anyone, said Villalobos. Many times the rapist has covered the victims face with a cloth to preserve his identity. He preys mainly on women not from the area, such as tourists, said officials.
Many of the women reported that the rapist approached them and asked them where they were from, according to Bermúdez. He then attempts to speak English with the victim, said the judicial official. The man then covers the victim’s face, many times with an article of their her clothing, said Bermúdez. He proceeds to rape her and ask her questions as he rapes her, said Bermúdez
In 2003, Brown served eight more months of preventative prison in an attempted rape case, said Bermúdez. The outcome was uncertain.
Judicial agents have investigated Brown in the rape of a 16 year old girl and a 55-year-old woman from the United States, among others, said Bermúdez. Five out of the seven victims were foreigners, added the judicial official. The majority of the reported victims are in their 20s, said Bermúdez, there was also a 36-year-old victim, he said.
One victim who fought off the rapist in March, reported the crime and named Brown as the suspect, officials said. However, officials seemed to be confused as to whether the crime was an attempted rape or a robbery.
Somehow when the victim filed the complaint about an attempted rape, the case was filed as a “robbery” by a judge in Bribri, said Eddie Ryan, vice president of the Cámara de Turismo de Puerto Viejo. Whether the woman was in a state of shock, the judicial complaint was unclear or the judge made an error is not known, said Ryan, who has been active in the case. The townspeople have been active, too, and sent a petition to the president of the Corte Suprema de Justicia, Luis Paulino Mora Mora, according to Ryan.
Bermúdez also said he had the complaint listed as a robbery. A court spokeswoman, however said the prosecutor in Bribri is calling the crime a rape. The suspect, must sign in every 15 days, must not approach the victim and must remain at home, said the spokeswoman. The spokeswoman did not know if the crime had previously been labeled as a robbery, she said, but the duration of the restrictive measures have been extended for three more months.
Group of Women form network to support victims of sexual violence
In related news, a group of area women have begun meeting to form a network in order to support women who’ve experienced sexual violence.
They have two main objectives.
1. To create a resource network to help victims of sexual violence both with the legal and therapeutic ramifications.
2. To work with local youth in order to open a dialog about sexual abuse and its prevention.
The group will meet again in September. The group is an anonymous one due to the delicacy of this issue. If you or a friend has experienced sexual violence and need some help, if you have professional experience in situations like this, or if you are interested in getting involved to lend a hand to those in need; contact ATEC and they’ll get you into contact with the group.
Sources
A.M. Costa Rica: Judge declines to confine the Puerto Viejo rape suspect
Greencoast News: Women’s Group Forms
Comments
3 Comments so far
|
|
| |
Use promo code 50_BUCKS_OFF to get $50 off Carbon Neutral Hosting |
|
Estimados amigos:
En relacion a este asunto del violador, les queremos informar que aparte del grupo de mujeres y hombres que se ha formado con el fin de tomar acciones urgentes para evitar que este tipo de cosas sucedan, la Camara de Turismo y Comercio del Caribe Sur (CATCAS) con el objeto de ayudar a ese grupo, envio hace dos semanas, una carta al Presidente de la Corte Suprema de Justica, quien ya constesto, informandonos que se le ha pedido un informe al Juez de Limon que aparentemente, dejo en libertad a ese pelifroso violador. Ademas, hace unos dias, enviamos otra carta al Presidente, con el fin de que esa investigacion tambien incluya al Sr Juez de Bri Bri.
Tambien el Comite de Seguridad de CATCAS se reunio la semana pasada con la Directora de la Policia Turistica, con el fin de coordinar esfuerzos y mejorar la vigilancia en las playas y otras zonas publicas del Caribe Sur.
Como comunicadora me sorprende que un medio serio como debería ser el Tico Times, publique informacionaes que no han sido corroboradas y culpe de antemano a una persona sin darle el beneficio de la duda.
El muchacho al que hacen referencia como “presunto violador”, cumplió su sentencia en la cárcel La Reforma los años estipulados de su condena, lo cual me consta, aparte de la cruel realidad que tuvo que soportar encerrado en una cárcel cumpliendo su castigo por haber violado a una mujer que era su pareja y con la que mediaron situaciones que no son las que se están tratando en esta nota.
Culpable o no, cumplió su condena y aprendió su lección, lamentablemente vivimos en una sociedad incapaz de comprender la realidad social y moral de un joven que vive en prisión desde antes de ser mayor de edad y debe adicionalmente soportar el rascismo y la humillación, una sociedad 100% enagenada, donde la voluntad, caprichos e intereses de los extranjeros priban ante las realidades de los nacionales.
Avalo al mil por mil se defiendan los derechos de las mujeres ante situaciones de acoso sexual, pero no permito la injusticia con que se juzga a una persona sin antes comprobar lo que se le atribuye, recordemos que para juzgar está Dios, y de la abundancia del corazón habla la boca.
Oh yeah, it’s obvious he’s “learned his lesson”. He has been identified by eye witness victims! This is not a mob mentality issue, it’s a broken justice system issue!
And please, don’t even try to play the race card. None of the victims gives a rip what color he is, they just care that he’s a sick person who’s hurt them, and if there’s racism involved, it’s reflected in the victims he chooses!
I LOVE how you somehow try to shift the blame on foreigners for this! LOL! What next? I guess it’s good to have an entire group of people to blame for all the problems of a community and to point the finger at. That how the Klu Klux Klan works in the US, by the way. I’m sorry, but it appears the racism and predjudice are coming from your end Priscila
No, sorry to inform you but it is not up to God to judge the laws of man in the justice courts, it is up to the justice system, whether by judge or a jury of peers. Or at least that’s how this was supposed to work. It is certainly not up to God, if you know anything about how judicial systems work, but it’s a nice sentiment.
Yes, the poor little rapist is just another victim of society. Who can blame him? It’s society’s fault. It’s his parent’s fault. It his teacher’s fault, or lack of. It’s his lack of education. He doesn’t have a job. He’s forced to sit on beaches all day and suffer the consequences, and he can barely afford gas for his blue scooter. Poor little man, his only recourse is to rape women in broad daylight. I’m sure it’s everyone’s fault but his.
I’ll be sure to let the victims know so they understand why they can’t sleep at night.