SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A San Diego man was convicted of torture, false imprisonment and assault Wednesday in connection with allegations that he restrained, beat and raped two women.
Seyed Kaboli, 35, was arrested in May of 2019 after a woman pounded on a resident's front door in Rancho Penasquitos, asking for help. She said she'd been raped and held against her will by a man, later identified as Kaboli, according to police.
Prosecutors allege Kaboli forced the woman to engage in sex acts after she withdrew consent, in addition to tying her up, striking her numerous times with his hands, as well as with a wooden stick. She then fled his home by jumping from a second-story balcony onto a parked vehicle below, according to testimony.
Charges related to a second woman were filed sometime after his arrest for incidents that prosecutors said happened in 2016.
Jurors returned guilty verdicts on Wednesday for seven counts of torture, false imprisonment and assault, but will return Thursday for further deliberations on a dozen other felony counts, all of which concern sex crimes such as forcible rape.
Deputy District Attorney Trisha Amador told jurors in her closing argument that the details both women shared with investigators were "eerily similar," despite the women being complete strangers to one another and the incidents occurring years apart.
Kaboli testified that though he invited the 2019 victim to his home for a consensual sexual encounter, she tried to rob him at knifepoint. When he was able to wrest the knife away from her, she fled his home via the balcony, he said.
He testified that any sexual conduct with either victim was entirely consensual.
Kaboli, who was out of custody throughout the trial, was remanded into custody after the guilty verdicts were reached.
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