3 Who Aided Victim of Alleged Rape Honored

Three San Fernando Valley residents, who rescued the victim of an alleged rape after she was stabbed and thrown down a hillside, received awards for bravery on Tuesday from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

In accepting the award, Brenda Guenthner, 24, of Canoga Park said she never thought twice about helping the woman, who stumbled in front of her car, covered with blood, at a Topanga Canyon rest area early June 1.

“We felt what we did was pretty much human nature,” Guenthner said, adding that “the true hero here was the surviving victim.”

The others commended Tuesday were Guenthner’s passengers, Shawn Berman, 25, and Dana Vinson, 24.

According to the three companions and police, drivers of several other cars fled the scene when they saw the woman. Information provided later by the victim led to the arrest of Joseph David Serapiglia, 20, whose father owned the woman’s apartment complex.