Three migrant men from Guatemala have pleaded guilty or been convicted of gang raping a deaf woman after kidnapping her in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in June 2021. Another migrant, accused of being the ring leader, has since reportedly fled to Guatemala.
Oscar Rene Juarez Lopez, a 45-year-old Guatemalan national, pleaded guilty to rape and kidnapping and was sentenced to 20 years in prison this week, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
According to Deputy District Attorney Haley Murphy, Lopez, along with 26-year-old Owin Erlandi Lemus Cardona, 34-year-old Edward Climaco Velis, and 21-year-old Josue Donaldo Leon Cartagena — all migrants from Guatemala — forced the woman into a vehicle in the early morning hours of June 13, 2021.
The woman, according to Murphy, was then gang raped by the four men in a “multi-hour nightmare” where she was treated “like meat amongst a pack of wolves.” Some of the rape was filmed, according to prosecutors.
After gang raping her, the men dropped her off at her residence. The woman rushed to report the incident to police and take a sexual assault exam at a nearby hospital.
In February, Cardona was convicted of kidnapping, conspiracy, and criminal sexual penetration by a Santa Fe jury. He is awaiting sentencing and faces up to 43 years in prison.
Velis pleaded guilty to conspiracy and criminal sexual penetration in May of last year. He faces up to 18 years in prison but is expected to receive 13 years under the terms of his plea deal.
Cartagena, thought to be the ring leader of the gang rape, is believed by police to be living back in Guatemala and still has a warrant out for his arrest. Prosecutors said Cartagena previously admitted to being involved in the gang rape and identified the three other men.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
