Man, 75, pleads guilty to raping 3 mentally ill women
A Las Vegas, N.M., man accused of sexually victimizing women released from the state psychiatric hospital has pleaded guilty to raping three women.
Benjamin Baca, 75, has not been sentenced.
Under the terms of his plea deal with the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, he faces between two and seven years in prison for the assaults. District Judge Matthew Sandoval will decide at a sentencing hearing that has yet to be scheduled how much time Baca will spend behind bars.
Baca’s victims — women who moved into area boarding houses after being released from the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas — said Baca forced them to perform oral sex on him at his home or in his truck and sometimes while parked at a cemetery.
Two women said Baca bought them cigarettes; a third said he gave her $20 to $30 and bought her sodas in exchange for oral sex.
Managers of the homes testified at a preliminary hearing that Baca has been cruising the streets of Las Vegas in his gray Ford pickup for years, befriending mentally ill women.
He was accused by four women and originally faced 15 counts, including six counts of criminal sexual penetration — a third-degree felony that carries a penalty of up to three years in prison — four counts of criminal sexual contact and two counts of indecent exposure, in addition to one felony count of kidnapping.
Under the terms of his deal with the state, Baca pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal sexual penetration, and the other charges were dismissed.
Deputy District Attorney James Grayson said Tuesday that Baca’s victims will have an opportunity to speak at his sentencing, and if they are unable to do so, their case managers or the managers of the boarding homes where they live may testify on their behalf.
Baca pleaded guilty in 2000 to aggravated assault against a household member and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance.
He’s been in jail since his arrest in March 2016 — with bond set at $100,000 cash only — and will receive credit for having served that time when he is sentenced.