A 33-year-old man pleaded not guilty Thursday to choking an underage prostitute until she passed out and hitting her with a brick in Stanton.
Margarito De La Cruz Guigui of Garden Grove is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old prostitute Nov. 11, 2019, and choking her until she fainted and striking her with a brick, investigators said in court papers. He was also accused of robbing another victim on Oct. 24, 2020.
Investigators used DNA evidence left at the scene of the assault to link the defendant to the alleged crimes, according to court records. Guigui was arrested Tuesday and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana.
Guigui was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, battery with serious bodily injury, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, and robbery, all felonies. He also faces sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury and the personal use of a deadly weapon.
Guigui was scheduled to return to court Jan. 4 in the West Justice Center in Westminster.