| For Immediate Release Case # 05WF3669 June 11, 2007 |
Contact: Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 |
TRIAL BEGINS FOR 23-YEAR-OLD MAN ACCUSED
OF RAPING AND BEATING 73-YEAR-OLD
GRANDMOTHER IN A DUMPSTER
SANTA ANA – The trial of a 23-year-old man will begin tomorrow on charges of raping and beating a 73-year-old grandmother in a dumpster as she was collecting recyclables. Patrick Daniel Piceno, Lake Elsinore, is charged with felony forcible rape causing great bodily injury and felony elder abuse with sentencing enhancements for causing great bodily injury to a sexual assault victim, committing a crime against a vulnerable victim, and causing great bodily injury to an elder. If convicted of all charges, Piceno faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Opening statements are expected to begin tomorrow, Tuesday, June 12, 2007 in Department C-3, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
At approximately 5:00 a.m. on May 31, 2005, 73-year-old Jane Doe was collecting cans in Garden Grove. The victim lived in Orange County with her husband, children, and grandchildren, and collected recyclables early in the morning to supplement the family income. Piceno, who was living in Garden Grove at the time, is accused of watching the victim enter an enclosed dumpster area and following her inside. He is accused of pushing Jane Doe from behind up against the wall. The defendant is accused of raping the victim and repeatedly punching her in the face and body, rendering her unconscious and leaving her for dead. Piceno is accused of fleeing the scene and taking the victim’s hat with him as a trophy.
The victim was discovered approximately 30 minutes later by a trash man, who found Jane Doe on the ground between two dumpsters. The victim suffered severe facial bruising, lacerations, swelling, broken ribs, bleeding in the brain, bruising on her arms and legs, and sexual injuries.
Piceno was arrested December 6, 2005 after being linked to the crime through DNA evidence.
Deputy District Attorney Kal Kaliban of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.
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