Grand Forks jury finds him guilty of kidnapping, assault and attempted sexual assault of woman – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS — After deliberating for a little more than three and a half hours, a Grand Forks jury found Angel Alberto Torres-Sosa guilty of kidnapping, aggravated assault and attempted aggravated sexual assault.

A pre-sentence investigation was ordered, which is scheduled for March 31 at 10:30 a.m.

The kidnapping and attempted aggravated sexual assault charges are Class A felonies and carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.

The charge of aggravated assault is a Class C felony.

Torres-Sosa, 32, was accused of pretending to give a woman a ride home from a Grand Forks bar and instead driving her to his residence, which was about 10 blocks away distance. On a mattress in the basement, he physically attacked her and tried to sexually assault her, according to court documents, prosecutors’ statements and trial testimony.

The state called 14 witnesses to testify throughout the trial –

which officially began on Tuesday afternoon, December 10

— including six considered experts in their fields. Evidence presented included a recording of the woman’s 911 call after she left Torres-Sosa’s residence, DNA, a toxicology report, medical records, video footage, photographs and clothing.

A fourth count, for Class C felony terrorizing, was dismissed during the trial when Torres-Sosa’s attorney argued that the state did not provide enough evidence to support the charge. Judge Jason McCarthy agreed to dismiss it.

Final jury instructions were given at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 13, and followed closing arguments from the state and defense. Finally, the state gave its rebuttal, and the jury was sent to deliberate just after 11 a.m.

During the state’s closing argument, Grand Forks County Assistant State’s Attorney Megan Essig spoke about what she believed to be Torres-Sosa’s intentions.

that night in October 2023.

“He saw what he wanted – an easy target – a friendly, young girl drinking at a bar,” she said.

The woman spent 88 minutes in Torres-Sosa’s basement, falling unconscious twice, suffering injuries and trauma she had to relive with strangers during the trial, Essig said.

During his closing argument, Torres-Sosa’s attorney – Alexander Riechert – said there was no evidence that anything did or did not happen against the woman’s will.

“What was holding her back?” he asked.

There were testimonies of the woman locked in Torres-Sosa’s truck, Reichert said, but what prevented her from unlocking it? How was she forced into the vehicle?

Surveillance footage showed friends the woman had been to the bar with were nearby as she walked to Torres-Sosa, who was waiting for her by his truck, Riechert said. Why would they let her go with him if they thought she was drugged, he said, which the prosecution alluded to, or otherwise in danger?

When Torres-Sosa and the woman arrived at his residence, she testified, he led her out of the vehicle and into his residence. At this point, Riechert said, he could have left. He could have screamed or fought.

“She wanted to go into the house and that didn’t fit her narrative today?” asked Riechert.

The woman testified that she fought off Torres-Sosa’s advances in the basement, but there was no physical evidence that he was hit or scratched, Riechert said. Torres-Sosa’s only injury was a bloody lip, which the woman testified was the result of his bite.

The woman testified that she believed Torres-Sosa had attempted something sexual with her, according to Riechert.

“‘I think he tried’ can’t be enough,” he said.

He also said there was no evidence of drugs or rape. In her rebuttal, Essig said they were not factors in the criminal charges in the case, and therefore the prosecution need not prove they happened.

She also said it was the prosecution’s job – not the woman’s – to prove what happened that night.

And despite what the defense would say about changing the woman’s story, Essig said, it’s important to consider the impact of the trauma and the time that has passed since the incident.

As for what the woman did or didn’t do during the crimes, Essig said, it was the result of fear.

What happened, she said, was kidnapping, aggravated assault and attempted sexual assault — which she believed the prosecution had proven.

The prosecution talked about a blood stain on the woman’s pant leg and male DNA in the vagina. Riechert replied that there was not a large enough amount of DNA to test its source, and the bloodstain was not DNA tested, but was only assumed to be the woman’s.

A nurse sexual assault examiner testified during the trial that the woman had signs of strangulation, such as redness on her neck, pain and trouble swallowing; A DNA swab taken from her neck was consistent with Torres-Sosa’s DNA, Essig said.

Riechert said photos of the woman’s neck do not show she was strangled.

“You’re halfway between the state and framing Angel as a criminal,” Reichert told the jury toward the end of his argument. “No matter what you do, this will follow Angel forever.”