An ex-high school student from Northern California was convicted of raping and kidnapping a teacher after a failed "prank" justification failed to sway the jury.
21-year-old David Velasquez was indicted this week at a San Mateo County court, after prosecutors stated he'd gone after a past teacher last year in a parking garage at Summit Preparatory Charter High School in Redwood City, wielding a knife.
Authorities claimed that Velasquez had a strange obsession with the teacher, and he had plotted to sexually assault her. According to the prosecution, he covered his face and eyes and approached the teacher with a knife, the Associated Press reported.
But Velasquez maintained that the attack was just a part of a "senior prank," and that he just wanted to scare the instructor.
"A prank could be anything; funny, scary," Velasquez, a student at Summit at the time of the assault, said during a cross examination performed by Deputy District Attorney Tricia Povah, who spoke with the San Jose Mercury News. "My intention was to scare her."
According to Velasquez' testimony as reported by the San Jose Mercury, the former student ran into the teacher at about 5:15 p.m. and said he was waiting to give another student a ride home. After talking briefly with the instructor, Velasquez reportedly went to his car parked close by, put on a gray stocking cap, sunglasses and a scarf around his face, and took off his shoes. He hid behind some garbage cans and waited for the teacher. He then "popped out," behind her, grabbed her with one arm and pointed the knife toward her side. He told the teacher to get into the car, but she dropped her keys. Velasquez' makeshift disguise didn't stop the teacher from recognizing his voice.
"I just remember her saying my name," Velasquez, who went by Davey at school, testified. "I remember saying that I wasn't Davey."
After a scuffle, Velasquez landed on top of the teacher, whereupon prosecutors said he tried to pry her legs apart. As he was doing so, another administrator walked into the garage and screamed.
Velasquez was arrested at his house shortly after he fled the scene.
He is currently in San Mateo County jail on $1 million bail.
