Teen Tells Court of Torture, Rape She Suffered in Attack

A teen-ager wept on the witness stand Tuesday as she testified in graphic terms about the sexual assault and torture she suffered in January, allegedly at the hands of a Buena Park man whom prosecutors described as a “sadistic rapist.”

The 17-year-old said during a Municipal Court preliminary hearing that her Jan. 13 ordeal ended when she was dumped--bound, gagged and blindfolded--into a water-filled ditch along Santa Ana Canyon Road in Anaheim. She was later rescued by someone who heard her cries for help.

The defendant, David Lopez, 28, is accused of the rape and attempted murder of the teen-ager and sexual assault on her.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Tom Crofoot said Lopez has been charged with attacks on seven women between June, 1992, and his February, 1993, arrest. Lopez has pleaded not guilty to more than 35 felony charges including kidnaping, attempted murder, rape and sexual assault.

Defense attorney William G. Morrissey said his client has been wrongly identified by the women. He said his client suffers from a work-related injury that disabled his left arm, the same arm that many of the victims claim he used to point guns or knives at them.

“I’m not saying that something did not happen to these women,” Morrissey said outside the courtroom. But he added that he believes his client is not the man responsible.

Outside of court, Crofoot described Lopez as a “sadistic rapist” who tried to inflict pain on some of his victims, some of whom were prostitutes. “He went after women he thought he could lure into his car,” Crofoot said.

Crofoot said the evidence against Lopez includes personal items belonging to some victims that were later found in Lopez’s possession.

During cross-examination, the teen-ager admitted using cocaine shortly before accepting a ride from Lopez in an Anaheim parking lot. She said Lopez then pulled over in another parking lot, put a knife to her throat, tied her up and cut off her pants.

The teen-ager testified that over the next several hours, she was tortured repeatedly, including being whipped with a chain, burned with a cigarette and tortured with electrical shocks. She said she was knocked unconscious several times by the electrical jolts.

“He said he wanted to see how much electricity it would take for me to light a light bulb,” the teen-ager said.