Childhood Abuse Blamed for Sanchez’s Sex Crimes

Convicted murderer Vincent Sanchez sexually assaulted more than a dozen Ventura County women because he suffers from a mental disorder brought on by the physical and sexual abuse he endured as a child, a psychologist testified Friday.

Defense mental health expert Mary Jay Adams told jurors that Sanchez, who could face the death penalty for killing a woman during a rape attempt two years ago, suffers from a personality disorder that is characterized by emotional instability and a need to fulfill his sexual fantasies and feel powerful.

The 32-year-old Sanchez, a former construction worker, has admitted through guilty pleas to being the long-sought Simi Valley serial rapist whose crimes went unsolved for five years.

Earlier this month, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder and related allegations in the July 2001 slaying of Moorpark College student Megan Barroso, 20. Those jurors must now decide whether Sanchez should be punished by death or life in prison without parole.

For the past several days, Sanchez’s relatives have urged jurors to spare his life. They have testified to his positive attributes, describing him as kind and hard-working. They also described a childhood scarred by abuse at the hands of a violent, alcoholic father.

On Friday, defense attorneys asked Adams to explain how Sanchez evolved into a serial rapist. She told jurors that in addition to physical abuse, Sanchez suffered sexual abuse at the hands of an older cousin when he was 10 years old, which probably led to his sexual problems.

Although she offered no evidence to support the claim, Adams also speculated that Sanchez was raped while serving two years in state prison on a child-abuse conviction in the early 1990s.

Under questioning by Deputy Dist. Atty. Lela Henke-Dobroth, Adams acknowledged that during a nine-hour interview she never asked Sanchez about his childhood sexual abuse, which was reported to other evaluators.

“I didn’t think I would get a complete report from him,” Adams said, adding that she did not want to traumatize Sanchez by delving into such a sensitive subject. Under further cross-examination, Adams testified that Sanchez told her during their interview that he liked “showing up” the Simi Valley Police Department by committing sex crimes and not getting caught.

“The implication was that he could outsmart them,” Adams said.

The defense closed its case Friday afternoon. The penalty phase is expected to wrap up by the end of next week.