ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — A serial rapist who pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping charges was sentenced Thursday to 70 years in prison.
Jerricho Joseph Esquivel, 24, will spend the rest of his life behind bars in connection with a violent sexual assault and kidnapping that happened in Aurora in 2022.
The crime, which was reported on Nov. 21, 2022, involved a woman who reported to police that she had been sexually assaulted in an alleyway behind an apartment complex.
The woman told investigators she had been dropped off by her husband and was walking to work cleaning houses in the area when she was approached by Esquivel. The victim told police he pulled out a gun, grabbed her by her jacket, and forced her behind a dumpster where he pistol-whipped and sexually assaulted her.
“At one point during the assault, the victim said Esquivel attempted to pull the trigger of the gun, but it did not fire after she was able to release the magazine during the struggle,” prosecutors said, adding the woman fought back and eventually managed to run away.
Prosecutors said the woman then tried to flag down drivers passing by, but no one stopped. She then ran toward a nearby gas station and approached a car in the parking lot for help, but the occupants did not want to help her because they “don’t get involved with police.”
They added she eventually approached another man at the gas station, and he called 911 but declined to remain with her at the scene until police arrived.
The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment, and a sexual assault forensic exam later revealed DNA evidence linking Esquivel to the assault, according to prosecutors.
In court Thursday, Esquivel was sentenced to 30 years for attempted second-degree murder and 40 years for second-degree kidnapping. The sentences will run consecutively.
“This case represents the unimaginable courage of a survivor who fought back and came forward,” Assistant Chief Deputy DA Kate Tierney said. "This sentence ensures that a dangerous predator remains off our streets for the foreseeable future.”
Prosecutors said Esquivel was also involved in a separate burglary and sexual assault case in Adams County a few weeks after the Aurora case, for which he will be sentenced later this month.
“This survivor’s bravery and determination are nothing short of extraordinary,” said District Attorney Amy Padden in a statement. “Despite enduring unimaginable violence and being denied help by multiple bystanders, she fought back, survived, and had the strength to come forward to hold her attacker accountable."
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