Wilmington man convicted on 10 counts of rape

Young, charismatic Carlos Aguirre used his status as a party host and key contributor to a family business in Wilmington to prey on dates, girls he met, his underage niece and her friends.

After 90 minutes of deliberation, a Long Beach jury this week convicted Aguirre, 25, on 10 counts of rape in attacks on one niece and two of her friends. Jurors also found him guilty of a child pornography charge and a drug charge.

Aguirre’s attorney argued that the victims’ testimony was inconsistent and that the girls continued to associate with Aguirre. And the father of one girl testified that he didn’t notice anything wrong.

But the evidence against Aguirre included an 18-minute video in which Aguirre, then 19, and a 12-year-old boy rape an unconscious, 14-year-old girl 10 times.

The first victim to come forward was Aguirre’s niece, who had decided when she turned 18 that she would stay silent no longer. She told a school counselor, who notified authorities.

“It was something that needed to be done,” the young woman, now 20, said Friday, two days after the trial ended. “I would see it happen to too many girls, and I wanted to stop it from happening to anybody else.”

Investigators suspect there could be other victims. Three additional women came forward to testify in the eight-day trial.

Aguirre had previous rape convictions. At 14, he served 2 1/2 years in juvenile camp for raping another niece, who was five years his junior.

At this week’s trial, that niece testified on behalf of Aguirre, saying she believes he learned his lesson from the earlier episode.

But upon his release from custody, witnesses said, Aguirre resumed his predatory habits.

He was the school photographer as a senior in high school; while there he allegedly drugged and raped a prom princess, who came forward to testify.

He also allegedly attempted to drug and rape a prom date; she also testified. Aguirre was not on trial for those alleged crimes, but jurors indicated that they believed the testimony and weighed it in their verdicts.

The niece who testified against him this week said the attacks on her began when she was 6 years old.

“I’d come out of school and Carlos would be there,” she said. “My heart would drop, and I knew what would happen. I was numb, and I accepted that this was my life.”

She was afraid to tell her mother, who was bound by a court order to share custody with her ex-husband, who is Aquirre’s half brother.

Many attacks occurred in the closeted background of an alluring social scene.

Aguirre’s mother runs a business that sells and rents formal wear, and provides alterations, decorations, flowers, entertainment, limousines and photo/video services. A hall upstairs is used for weddings, quinceaneras and communions.

Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Carol Rose said Aguirre would use his mother’s second-floor banquet hall for parties at which underage teens could get alcohol, marijuana and Ecstasy. For the some of the girls who wanted in, submission to abuse was part of the deal, Rose said.

“He had a power over girls,” she said. “He had what they called a death stare … and they were very afraid of him. He had a gun, and hand grenades that were probably fake, but he showed them to victims.”

Aguirre specialized in photography and videography for events planned and hosted by his mother. He also used his skills to add a soundtrack to the rape tape.

Attempts to contact Aguirre’s mother and other family members by phone and at the family business were unsuccessful.

“He was really well-known and popular and knew everyone in Wilmington,” said the niece who testified against him. “Everyone just saw him as this amazing person. I knew the truth but I didn’t think I would be believed.”

Sentencing is scheduled for August; the multiple convictions could keep Aguirre behind bars for the rest of his life, Rose said.

The mother of the 20-year-old victim praised the work of detectives and prosecutors, but said the girls who came forward deserve special credit.

“These three girls are heroes,” she said, echoing a juror’s comment.

The mother added: “We feel safe again. Now, we have a lot of work to do on healing.”

howard.blume@latimes.com