Porterville man convicted of rape, elder abuse
A Porterville man faces 138 years-to-life in prison after he was convicted earlier this week of the rape of an elderly woman in 2016 in Porterville.
A jury at the South County Justice Center late Wednesday afternoon convicted Kory Tapia, age 41, of Porterville, of nine total counts, including two counts of forcible rape, one count of elder abuse, one count of false imprisonment of an elder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of possession of child pornography.
The charges were enhanced with special allegations of burglary with the intent to commit a sex offense and use of a deadly weapon.
At approximately 2:50 am on October 29, 2016, Porterville Police Department officers were dispatched to the 87-year-old female victim’s residence for a report of rape. It was discovered that the victim had been sleeping when Tapia entered her bedroom and began sexually assaulting her.
During the assault Tapia forcefully placed a pillow over the victim’s face. Angered when the victim fought back, he punched her in the face and raped her again. When finished with the assaults, Tapia told the victim not to tell anyone and left.
Through DNA left at the scene, the California Department of Justice obtained a CODIS match on Tapia. He was arrested by police on November 22, 2016. Tapia has multiple convictions, including misdemeanor lewd conduct and peeking for a 2007 incident.
“I cannot imagine anything more horrific than what the victim in this case endured,” said District Attorney Tim Ward. “Law enforcement and prosecutors should be commended for taking this predator off the streets.”
Tapia’s sentencing is scheduled for November 7.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Erica Gonzalez and investigated by Detective Orlando Ortiz of the Porterville Police Department.