Case # 09CF2322
Date: May 20, 2016
FORMER FUGITIVE SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MOLESTING 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL AND THREATENING TO KILL HER 15-YEAR-OLD SISTER IN LATE NIGHT HOME BREAK-IN
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former fugitive was sentenced today to 25 years to life in state prison for sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl and threatening to kill her 15-year-old sister after breaking into their home in the middle of the night through a bedroom window. Ernesto Parraguirre, 27, Anaheim, was found guilty by a jury Nov. 18, 2015, of one felony count each of sexual penetration of a child 10 years or younger, lewd acts on a child under 14, criminal threats, first degree burglary, assault with intent to commit a sexual offense during the commission of a first degree burglary, and a sentencing enhancement for being a non-accomplice present during a residential burglary. Parraguirre was also sentenced to mandatory lifetime sex offender registration and ordered to pay restitution.
At approximately 5:00 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2009, Parraguirre broke into a home in Orange by removing a screen and climbing through a bedroom window. He entered the bedroom, where 9-year-old Jane Doe 1 was sleeping with her sister, 15-year-old Jane Doe 2. The victims did not know the defendant. The victims’ parent was sleeping in a nearby bedroom. Parraguirre got into the bed with Jane Doe 1 and sexually assaulted her. Jane Doe 1 woke up and began to cry, waking her sister. Parraguirre threatened to kill Jane Doe 2 if she said anything. The defendant then fled the scene.
The defendant fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution. On Sept. 25, 2009, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Orange Police Department (OPD) released a press release seeking the public’s help in locating the defendant. Parraguirre turned himself in to OPD on Feb. 10, 2010.
At Parraguirre’s sentencing today, both of the victims delivered emotional impact statements to the court pursuant to Marsy’s Law. Jane Doe 1 talked about how the crime has impacted her life and how she remains uncomfortable when she sees a man walking down the street toward her. Jane Doe 2 also described the trauma of the crime and how she can only now sleep through the night because of the comfort she feels with her family’s new dog.
Deputy District Attorney Kristin Bracic of the Sexual Assault Unit prosecuted this case.