Officials Paint Brutal Picture of Rape Suspect

Since his arrest last month, more details have emerged about Simi Valley serial rape suspect Vincent Henry Sanchez that show a man with a nearly decade-old criminal history who authorities believe became increasingly violent.

His estranged girlfriend, as recently as January, accused Sanchez, 30, of making death threats, according to court documents.

He had been in trouble long before that, however. Sanchez had a previous burglary conviction and had served time in prison for abusing the baby of a former girlfriend when they lived together in Lancaster in 1992.

Police and prosecutors said Sanchez’s brutality continued and grew more serious. They paint a picture of a brutal rapist who donned a ski mask, armed himself with a knife and for the past five years terrorized Simi Valley women.

Sanchez is also the chief suspect in the July 5 shooting death of 20-year-old Moorpark College student Megan Barroso. Authorities said an AK-47 assault rifle seized at Sanchez’s home may have been used to kill Barroso.

“We are looking at him as a possible suspect because the profile of some serial rapists shows a propensity to progress to more violent crimes,” Sheriff Bob Brooks said shortly after the arrest.

On Friday, Sanchez pleaded not guilty to 57 criminal counts, including sexual assault, burglary and kidnapping, in connection with a rampage that authorities said began in 1996.

Those who know him say Sanchez’s criminal history runs counter to the conservative, strait-laced upbringing he experienced as a teenager growing up in Simi Valley.

Sanchez was one of eight children born to Margaret and Mariano Sanchez, who supported his family with a career in the construction business.

Sanchez’s mother and father appeared to be a loving couple, according to people who knew them, and were strict with their children. Margaret Sanchez and her daughters wore no makeup and dressed conservatively in long skirts. Television was not permitted in their home.

Vincent Sanchez attended Royal High School, where he joined the wrestling team. He dated several classmates and girls in his neighborhood.

“I can’t wait to put my arms around you,” one girl wrote in a high school love letter that Sanchez kept among his belongings. “I love you.”

Sanchez dropped out his junior year and moved to Utah, where friends said the family has relatives.

By 1991, he had returned to settle in Lancaster and began doing construction work.

The 21-year-old Sanchez dated Dona Conrad, 17, who was separated from her husband. After the couple moved in together, fights erupted over Conrad’s 1-year-old daughter, authorities said.

Conrad told authorities that Sanchez often forbade her to feed or clothe her baby, saying the child needed discipline. Sanchez said the infant “was spoiled, a brat and cried too much,” according to court documents.

In March 1992, Sanchez choked Conrad after seeing her feed the baby. Court records do not explain what happened to the baby, but the child was taken to the hospital after the incident.

Conrad and Sanchez were charged with child abuse, and Sanchez served less than two years in prison for the offense.

After his release, he returned to construction work and rented a room in a Simi Valley home that he shared with four roommates.

His housemates liked him, they said. Sanchez often offered to cook his favorite Mexican dishes. And he was clean-cut, usually dressing in nice jeans, an ironed T-shirt and tennis shoes.

“Immaculate,” said one of the housemates, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “That’s how I would describe him.”

In late 1995, while operating a crane, Sanchez broke his legs. He fully recovered and received a workers’ compensation settlement.

Roommates said Sanchez bought a dune buggy and a champagne-colored sport utility vehicle and seemed to be enjoying a more laid-back lifestyle, often going camping.

On Sept. 2, 1996, the first of several sexual assaults occurred in Simi Valley that would later be attributed to a serial rapist. The attacker entered the home of a 19-year-old woman on the city’s west side and raped her while other family members slept.

On Sept. 26 of that year, a 23-year-old woman awakened in the middle of the night when a male intruder put his hands around her neck. She resisted and the man fled, leaving her with minor scratches.

The next January and June, two more attempted rapes were reported that authorities said they believe were committed by the same man.

During this time, Sanchez began dating Meiners Oaks resident Luz LaFarga, according to his roommates. But Sanchez worked off and on and his relationship with LaFarga, who had four children, was volatile.

On Aug. 27, 1999, Sanchez was arrested by sheriff’s deputies on suspicion of prowling at LaFarga’s house near Ojai. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was placed on probation.

In January, LaFarga obtained a restraining order against Sanchez, saying he had broken into her home and threatened to kill her.

Meanwhile, the Simi Valley City Council offered a $15,000 reward for information in the sexual assault cases, an amount later boosted to $25,000. By March 2000, the number of attacks had reached 11, including two that month.

This June, Sanchez’s roommates noticed that he had become increasingly withdrawn. He began spending all day in his room, even moving his belongings from the living room into his bedroom, they said.

In July, Sanchez attended a birthday party at a friend’s house. Friends said he was jovial but mentioned that he was tired because he had just gotten back from a trip to New York, where he said he had been working on a music video.

After five years of dead-end leads, police finally got their break July 27 when Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of burglary at a neighbor’s home.

After his arrest, roommates found photographs and videos of naked women bound and gagged. One video showed a man wearing a ski mask, gloves and black clothing and a naked woman whose leg appeared to be bleeding, said Josh Reno, one of the roommates.

“Once I saw it, it was full shock,” Reno said. “I called 911.”

During a search of Sanchez’s home, police seized the AK-47 assault rifle.

Sheriff’s officials said the gun was missing a part similar to one recovered near Barroso’s car. Tests are underway to determine if it is the same gun used to shoot up Barroso’s vehicle.

On Aug. 4, Barroso’s body was found by a search team in a canyon southeast of Simi Valley. She had died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen, coroner’s officials said.

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Times staff writers Timothy Hughes, Margaret Talev and Holly Wolcott contributed to this story.