San Diego Man Will Spend Life In Prison For Raping Two Women At Gunpoint Within Two Days

A San Diego man will spend the rest of his life in state prison after he was convicted of raping two women at gunpoint within two days.

Jeremiah Ira Williams, 26, was sentenced Tuesday to 100 years to life, plus an additional 86 years, for the two attacks. He had been convicted May 1 of raping two women in 2016 one day apart from each other, according to KGTV in San Diego.

During the trial, prosecutor Trisha Amador detailed how Williams followed the first victim from a parking lot to her apartment on August 13, 2016. He asked her where her husband was before knocking her down, robbing her at gunpoint, choking her and raping her, Amador said. The victim testified that Williams dragged her into her bedroom for the rape, The Times of San Diego reported.

"I remember his face," the woman said in court.

The day after that attack, Williams beat and raped a woman a sex worker in a motel, once again using a handgun. 

"Do you want to know what it feels like to die?" he asked the second victim, before choking her until she saw stars, the prosecution said. She was raped and became so scared that she broke a window and jumped through it to escape, according to Amador’s testimony.  The second victim also testified against Williams in court.

The night of the motel attack, William was arrested by the California Highway Patrol after someone saw him lurking in a canyon nearby, armed with a gun. He was released with a citation for a gun violation, as he wasn’t linked to the rapes until a few days later.

Williams’ public defender Thomas Bahr said police jumped to conclusions by linking the two attacks and pointed out alleged inconsistencies in the second victim’s stories, according to KMFB-TV in San Diego. Bahr claimed the second victim and two men were planning to rob one of her customers that night. 

[Photo: San Diego Police Department]