For Immediate Release
July 20th, 2001
Contact: Tori Richards (714) 347-8405
Two Adults Charged Today in Black Star Canyon Gang Rape-Assault
SANTA ANA – Two gang members who acted in concert with three other associates in the rape and attack of two couples in the remote Black Star Canyon have been charged with 39 counts each.
Eric Oswaldo Dominguez (DOB 1-20-82) and Cuahutemoc Torrez (DOB 6-22-82) could face multiple life terms in prison if convicted of all charges. They are both in custody for parole violations and are scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Monday in Dept. C-55 of the Central Justice Center. The pair will also have a felony probation violation hearing that will be held on Wednesday in Dept. C-5. Dominguez is on probation for an evading arrest conviction and Torrez for possession of a stolen car.
The pair was charged with 31 counts pertaining to the rape and sexual assault of the two girls and seven counts stemming from the beating of the girls’ boyfriends. In addition, a separate count of street terrorism was filed. Among the charges are rape, kidnapping, burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon, carjacking and forcible oral copulation.
Three other suspects, Veruk Kim (DOB 3-25-84), Jesus Rene Green (DOB 7-7-85) and Phu Quoc Tran (DOB 10-6-85), were charged with 17, 19, and 17 counts respectively in connection with this case. Additional charges will likely be filed against the minors. Kim, Green, and Tran are scheduled to appear in front of Judge Joy Markman in the Juvenile Justice Center at 9 a.m. Tuesday to enter pleas. The proceeding will be open to the public.
This case began when the victims went to Black Star Canyon in search of a house that was allegedly haunted. After walking around, the teens returned to their car and found that it had been vandalized and items had been stolen. Five males approached them in a car and asked if the victims needed help. The males got out of their car and pretended to offer assistance, but then began beating both boys and sexually assaulting the girls. The boys were temporarily put in the trunk of their own car and the girls were placed in the suspects’ car. The girls were driven to another location and then dragged from the car and assaulted again.