VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) - An Escondido man was sentenced to 100 years to life in prison Thursday after he pleaded guilty to breaking and sexually assaulting nine young girls as they slept.
DNA evidence at several crime scenes led investigators to Gilbert Chavarria, an Escondido-area mechanic. He pleaded guilty last year to several charges stemming from attacks on 2012 and 2013 in Escondido and San Marcos.
His victims ranged between five and 15-years-old. Prosecutors previously said he broke into at least six of the homes, cut off pieces of clothing from his victims, and molested them as they slept.
The prosecutor read a letter in the Vista courtroom from the mother of one of his victims: “To be the mother of not only a victim but a child, an innocent little girl, who was violated by my own family made me feel so weak. I felt that I had failed as a parent and I let this happen by not seeing the signs that showed he was sick…. Gilbert, you are the one who has failed. You failed in many ways but to us you failed as a cousin and an uncle. You tore our entire family apart. I hope you spend the rest of your days in regret and pray for mercy.”
Chavarria stood emotionless and did not react to anything said in court. The judge sentenced him to 100 years to life behind bars.
