A child sexual assault victim spoke Friday during her abuser’s Lompoc Superior Court sentencing hearing, sharing about the physical and mental pain she suffered from the “monster” she no longer fears as he heads to state prison.
Rene Navarro, 37, of Lompoc was sentenced to 30 years to life in state prison after previously pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault in the commission of rape involving a child under 14 years old.
After hearing emotional testimony from the victim, now a teen, and her family members, Judge Raimundo Montes de Oca handed down the sentence reached as part of a plea deal — 15 years to life for each of the two counts to be served consecutively.
Navarro also must register as a sex offender as part of the guilty plea.
Additionally, the judge agreed with Deputy District Attorney Scott Donahue that the defendant should pay the victim $500,000 in noneconomic restitution, rejecting arguments from defense attorney S.E. Ballard, who sought a lower amount.
The girl, referred to as Jane Doe in court, said she didn’t have the normal fears of a child. Instead, she feared being left alone with her abuser or hearing her bedroom door drag on the carpet when he opened it.
“My biggest fear was not the monster under my bed but the monster lying next to me,” the girl told the judge.
Noozhawk is not revealing the relationship between the victim and the defendant to protect her identity.
When the criminal charges were first filed in November 2018, Navarro originally faced 33 felony charges and a number of sentencing enhancements in the case originally investigated by Lompoc police.
The incidents occurred between 2011 and 2018 and began when the victim was about 8 years old, she said in court.
“I was confused. I was scared,” she added.
The girl said she stayed quiet out of fear for her siblings, but she fell behind in school, had nightmares, didn’t eat and had suicidal thoughts.
“The things you have done are unforgivable,” she said, saying she no longer lived in fear.
Other relatives of the victim also spoke about the abuse.
“I love that my son was brave and told your sick secret,” the girl’s mom said, calling the defendant manipulative, a liar and an abuser. “It’s your turn to walk in fear.”
Before the sentencing hearing, the judge heard a pretext call from the victim to Navarro in which she claimed to be pregnant, evidence the prosecution sought wanted to justify the restitution.
The prosecuting attorney had argued that the judge needed to hear the conversation Donahue called the “best evidence of the darkness she lived under for years.” The judge allowed the recording in which the defendant instructs the girl regarding what to say to her mom.
“Tell her you had sex with a boy while she was gone,” Navarro said.
He repeatedly ordered her to look up ways to prompt a miscarriage before apologizing and saying, “Something is wrong with me in my head.”
On Friday afternoon, the judge called the $500,000 restitution appropriate after earlier noting that the defendant committed “numerous acts over six years’ time with vulnerable victim” as the reason he levied a $10,000 fine. He also ordered the defendant to pay $5,248 in economic restitution covering costs of therapy and the victim’s mother’s lost workdays.
Navarro has been in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail with bail at $2 million.
“I hope you have heard what your actions have caused,” the judge told Navarro at the end of Friday’s hearing.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.