Southern California(Thechieftainspear) –A 32-year-old man from Aurora, Colorado has pleaded guilty to multiple sexual assaults committed across Southern California, including attacks on women he met through a dating app and a homeless woman he encountered in Encino.
Charles Edward Gaines III entered his plea in a Ventura County courtroom on Friday, admitting to rape, attempted rape, and other charges. One of the charges includes a special allegation involving a minor victim.
Gaines had previously faced trial in February and was convicted of forcible sodomy and attempted rape. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on several other charges, which Gaines has now admitted to, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
His offenses date back to February 2019, when Gaines used a fake identity on a dating platform to lure a woman under the pretense of taking her to a movie. Instead, he drove her to a different location, took her phone, and sexually assaulted her. After the attack, he dropped her off at a fast-food restaurant, returned her phone, and left the scene. Despite the trauma, the woman managed to report the assault and undergo a forensic examination, which collected key DNA evidence.
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Authorities say Gaines continued to harass the victim afterward, sending disturbing messages that included threats and demands to meet again.
Later that same year, in December, Gaines offered a homeless woman a ride in Encino under the guise of helping her escape the cold. After she entered his vehicle, he allegedly assaulted her. The woman managed to flee with his cell phone and found refuge in a nearby grocery store. Gaines reportedly followed her inside and wrestled the phone away before fleeing.
In March 2020, Gaines connected with a 16-year-old girl through a dating app and picked her up from her Simi Valley home. What began as a seemingly consensual encounter quickly turned violent, and the teen was raped in the backseat of his car. She escaped and later received threatening messages from Gaines warning her to remain silent.
A separate incident in May 2020 involved another woman in Canoga Park who refused to have further contact with Gaines after a previous consensual relationship. In response, he allegedly sent threatening messages and attempted to coerce her by threatening to release explicit images unless she complied.
Authorities say the critical breakthrough in the case came when DNA samples from the three sexual assault investigations were matched through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) after Gaines was arrested in Colorado in 2022 for an unrelated offense. His DNA, collected during that arrest, was linked to the unsolved cases in California.
Following his identification, Gaines was extradited to Ventura County, where he has remained in custody since.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6 and is expected to receive a 19-year prison term.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Brent Nibecker, who specializes in prosecuting cold case sexual assaults, praised the victims for their bravery. “Gaines targeted women he believed were vulnerable,” said Nibecker. “But what he didn’t count on was their strength and determination. Their courage not only brought him to justice but helped protect others.”
The prosecution was supported by a U.S. Department of Justice grant under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which focuses on testing unprocessed rape kits and reopening unresolved sexual assault cases.
Those seeking more information or assistance related to past sexual assaults can visit the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative website for resources and support.
This case was a joint effort led by the Simi Valley Police Department, with help from the LAPD and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation.
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