Stepfather found guilty of raping his 9-year-old stepdaughter

Yesterday Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced that a jury of seven women and five men had found 32-year-old Aaron Eugene Sepulveda guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14 "and nine other sexual assault crimes perpetrated upon his 9-year-old step-daughter."

On August 29, 2018 the girl was admitted to the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital for severe vaginal bleeding. During the course of examination, it was determined that she also had bruising to her face, arms and hips, as well as tearing and lacerations to vaginal tissue.

The Salinas Police Department and the Department of Child and Protective Services were called to investigate and Sepulveda was arrested at the hospital.

His jury trial was postponed a number of times throughout 2020 due to the coronavirus. His two week long trial finally started on March 5, 2021.

"Jane Doe, now eleven-years old, bravely testified to the events of August 26, 2018 and prior sex acts that she remembered, starting when she was five years old," the press release from the Monterey County District Attorney's Office read. "The victim was supported in the courtroom by a victim advocate from the District Attorney’s Office and a courtroom facility canine named Odie."

Sepulveda faces the possibility of a sentence of life in prison without parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 2021 by Judge Mark E. Hood.