A 19-year-old man was sentenced on Monday to 100 years to life in prison for repeatedly raping a clerk at an El Monte convenience store last fall.
Joseph Leo Amaya of El Monte was convicted Aug. 22 of two counts each of forcible rape and sexual penetration by a foreign object and one count of assault with intent to commit a felony.
Jurors, who deliberated for less than two hours before reaching their verdict, also found true an allegation of aggravated kidnapping.
Amaya entered the store last Oct. 19 and unsuccessfully tried to get the phone number of the convenience store clerk, who was 19 at the time, according to Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Valenzuela.
Amaya returned hours later as the young woman was getting ready to close the store, according to the prosecutor. As she tried to lock the doors, Amaya forced his way in, barricaded the entrance, dragged the woman by her hair to the back of the store and repeatedly raped her, according to the prosecutor.
Amaya was tracked down about a week later, after police received tips from the community. Surveillance video and audio, along with DNA evidence, linked him to the crime, authorities said.
— City News Service