Friday, January 3rd 2020, 12:45 pm
A convicted rapist will spend the rest of his life in prison.
An Oklahoma County judge on Friday gave the man a 380-year prison sentence and ordered him to pay $50,000 in fines.
The judge said Sergio Soto, 22, went on a rampage when he committed rape, sodomy and kidnapping three years ago.
Before hearing his 380-year prison sentence, Soto was smiling and waving at his family and friends who filled half the courtroom.
Oklahoma County prosecutors filed 15 charges against Soto for raping and sodomizing two women at gunpoint in 2016. He then attempted to rape three others all in the same day in different areas of the city, including the Myriad Gardens. Prosecutors described Soto's crimes as "acts of unspeakable evil."
One of the victims who managed to escape Soto testified in court that he approached her as she was going to work. She said he had what appeared to be a shotgun and tried to force her into his car. Instead, she screamed and Soto ran away.
The judge gave the man's family and friends a chance to speak on his behalf. Several pleaded with the judge to give him a second chance and said they did not believe Soto was capable of the crimes.
The man's attorney told the judge they decided against a jury trial for the victims and due to the overwhelming DNA evidence. Soto took a blind plea allowing the judge to decide his fate. They asked the judge for a 20-year sentence to allow Soto to be out of prison when his now 3-year-old daughter is an adult.
Before the judge read his decision, he told the court, “Mr. Soto is the nightmare of any woman who walks on this planet and the nightmare of any man who has a daughter."
Soto's attorney said they respect the court's decision but plan to appeal. Soto will transferred from the Oklahoma County jail into the Department of Corrections' custody in 10 days.
Jennifer Pierce has been on staff with News 9 since 2017. She’s an Emmy Award-winning reporter often covering crime in the metro and court cases. A proud member of the Choctaw Nation and a member of the Indigenous Journalists Association, Jennifer also enjoys telling the stories of Native Americans in Oklahoma.
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