Judge keeps convicted rapist in jail prior to sentencing

Superior Court associate judge Kenneth L. Govendo has denied the request of convicted rapist Raymond Mendiola Camacho to be freed from jail while awaiting his sentencing.

Govendo remanded Camacho back to the custody of the Department of Corrections after Wednesday’s hearing on the motion.

The judge denied Camacho’s request based on the victims’ testimony that “the defendant [will] ‘slaughter’ her” and the danger Camacho poses to the victim and society.

Court-appointed counsel Stephen Woodruff represented Camacho. Assistant attorney general Darren Robinson appeared for the government.

Woodruff said his client was wrongfully remanded to custody since he made his guilty plea unconditionally. “This action by the court was an injustice to the defendant and, even more importantly, a grave injustice to innocent parties, Mr. Camacho’s family, his ‘wife’ and nine children, and his aged and largely disabled parents,” Woodruff said.

Robinson said, however, that Govendo made the right decision because no conditions of release will assure that Camacho will not flee or pose a danger to the community.

“[Camacho’s] recent conviction is his third sex offense conviction. Jail sentences, fines, and supervised probation have failed to deter [his] criminal activities in the past. There is no indication that release conditions will deter his criminal activity between release and sentencing,” Robinson said.

Last Feb. 23, with the jury trial on its third day and the prosecution having two witnesses left, the 38-year-old Camacho decided to throw in the towel by entering a guilty plea.

Camacho pleaded guilty to kidnapping, sexual assault in the first degree, attempted sexual assault in the first degree, and disturbing the peace.

Govendo directed the Office of Probation Office to submit by April 9, 2012 a pre-sentence investigation report.

Govendo then remanded Camacho into the custody of the Department of Corrections.

Police said that Camacho, a convicted sex offender, asked the victim to bring him to a secluded old radar station area in As Matuis where he threatened to slaughter her before trying to rape her inside her car on Feb. 23, 2011.

The victim managed to escape after she hit him in the left eye with the car key, forcing him to go down from the vehicle and giving her the chance to drive off.