Kind Grind Rapist Convicted, District Attorney's Office Reports

Submitted by Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office

District Attorney Bob Lee announced Thursday that defendant Elvis Garcia was convicted by a jury of all counts and allegations arising from the March 19, 2008 sexual assault at the Kind Grind Coffee Shop in the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor.

The Defendant was charged with numerous sexual assault offenses, robbery, burglary, kidnapping and allegations that he used a knife during the commission of the offenses. The victim testified for two days, demonstrating exceptional strength and courage.

The jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching their verdict. Sentencing is scheduled for October 2, 2013. The defendant faces life in prison.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office, Santa Cruz Police Department and the California Department of Justice. Santa Cruz County District Attorney Inspector Katrina Rogers spearheaded the investigation. In 2008, Ms. Rogers, then a Sexual Assault Detective for the Santa Cruz Police Department, submitted the DNA evidence to the California Department of Justice for entry into the new familial DNA program. This program compared the DNA collected during the investigation against the DNA database searching for profiles of the suspect's family members.

This process resulted in a hit which led to an extensive investigation, involving many hours of surveillance, evidence collection and analysis. As a result the defendant became the prime suspect. Slain officers Sgt. Loran "Butch" Baker and Detective Elizabeth Butler were both involved in the investigation. Two DNA samples were taken from the defendant and comparisons confirmed that the defendant was the perpetrator.

Santa Cruz County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeff Rosell and Assistant District Michael Gilman prosecuted the case. Both expressed satisfaction with the verdict.

"The jury did the right thing and reached a just verdict," Michael Gilman said.

Here's an earlier story about the trial.