A Southern California man was sentenced to prison for the attempted murder of a young girl and the sexual assault of an elderly woman.
Joel James Gonzales, 28, was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in state prison, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Gonzales worked as a caretaker at the Royal Gardens elder care facility in Camarillo where he typically worked with patients who had dementia or Alzheimer’s. He had access to both the assisted living and memory care facilities.
On Oct. 15, 2020, Gonzalez was accused of attacking two patients during his evening shift. The first victim was cornered inside her room located on the assisted living side of the complex.
Gonzalez attacked the woman several times by pushing her down on the bed and attempting to remove her clothing, court documents said. The victim fought back and eventually, Gonzales left the room.
He then went to the memory care side of the facility where he targeted a 90-year-old female patient with dementia. He walked the elderly woman to a storage closet, locked her inside and performed lewd acts on her before facility staff started knocking on the door, authorities said.
The next day, he snuck into a Camarillo home by crawling through a doggy door. When the homeowner confronted him, he refused to leave and wandered around the house until Ventura County deputies arrived and arrested him.
He was released from custody later that night and was picked up by family members who allowed him to stay at their home. That night, a 6-year-old girl was having a sleepover with the family’s young daughter.
Around 5 a.m. the next morning, family members awoke to loud banging noises Coming from the room the girls were sleeping in.
“A teenager in the home was the first to investigate and saw Gonzales violently beating and choking the six-year-old victim in her sleeping bag,” authorities said.
The teen rushed at Gonzales and knocked him off the young girl. The parents held Gonzales down until authorities could arrive.
The young girl was falling in and out of consciousness and her face was bloodied and swollen. She was rushed to the hospital where survived the attack but suffered brain trauma.
When deputies arrived, the young victim was in and out of consciousness, her face was bloodied and swollen. She was taken to a local hospital. She survived the attack but suffered brain trauma.
On July 22, 2024, Gonzales was convicted by a jury of attempted murder, felony assault with intent to commit rape during a burglary, and misdemeanor aggravated trespassing.
Several special allegations were also found to be true, including that he caused great bodily injury during a felony, that the crime involved great violence, that the victim was vulnerable and that he took advantage of a position of trust.
On Aug. 27, the 28-year-old withdrew his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, pled guilty to one count of felony lewd acts on a dependent adult and waived his right to a mental competency hearing, officials confirmed to KTLA.
“The defendant’s plea and convictions today enable each of the victims to receive the justice and closure they deserve,” Sr. Deputy DA Tom Steele, a member of VCDA’s Sexual Assault Unit, said.
On Sept. 25, he was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in state prison.