Richmond High Gang Rape Suspect: 'It Got Out of Control'
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Fourteen-year law enforcement veteran Detective Eric Smith testified in Contra Costa Superior Court Tuesday that Salvador Rodriguez, who was arrested and later released, told police that on the night of the gang rape of a 16-year-old Richmond High student that "things got out of control and people were ripping off the girls' clothes."
KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:
Detective Smith testified that Rodriguez told him during a jailhouse interview last year that the night began when the victim started drinking brandy with Rodriguez and two suspects. Rodriguez had confessed that prior to the sexual assault, he had put his hands on the girl.
For more than two hours, the girl was beaten, robbed and gang-raped in a dark corner of the Richmond High campus. She would periodically lose consciousness. Rodriguez told detective Smith that he tried to stop it, but couldn't.
Now, five men and two teenage boys have been charged in the assault and all, but one could face life in prison if convicted of the charges. This preliminary hearing will determine if there's enough evidence in the case to hold a trial.
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