A man accused of torturing his girlfriend for days, ultimately leading to her death on Christmas Eve, has been convicted, California prosecutors say.
A jury found Saul Nava, 24, guilty of nine felonies, including first-degree murder, in the 2021 death of Alisen Takacs-Escobar, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in an Oct. 15 news release.
He was also convicted “of torturing and kidnapping a previous girlfriend,” prosecutors said.
Nava pleaded not guilty to all charges, the Ventura County Star reported.
Nava’s attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Oct. 16.
‘Happy and outgoing’
Sophia Nuno, a high school friend, testified that Takacs-Escobar “was super friendly, bubbly, happy and outgoing ” before she started dating Nava, the Thousand Oaks Acorn reported.
Takacs-Escobar’s vibrant personality, however, started to change, and once she moved in with Nava, Nuno said she their friendship began to dwindle, the newspaper reported.
“It went from texting once a week to maybe once a month to completely nothing,” she said, according to the newspaper.
Christmas Eve 2021
On Christmas Eve in 2021, “Nava called 911 after days of beating and torturing” Takacs-Escobar, prosecutors said.
When Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Thousand Oaks apartment just after 1:15 a.m., they found 24-year-old Takacs-Escobar seriously injured and unresponsive, according to a 2021 sheriff’s office news release.
“She suffered from extensive bruising, the top of her head had a large laceration, and degrading words were newly tattooed on the center of her chest,” prosecutors said.
First responders tried to save her, but she was pronounced dead on the scene, deputies said. Nava was arrested, according to deputies.
‘I’m really scared’
Evidence showed Takacs-Escobar was tortured before she died, according to deputies.
Deputies found “tattoo equipment, baseball bats, a hammer, and a screwdriver” inside the apartment, prosecutors said.
They also found Nava’s cellphone with videos, which were shot hours before Takacs-Escobar’s death, that “show Nava taunting her and displaying no concern for her worsening condition,” according to prosecutors.
Among the four videos found as evidence is one where a male voice can be heard saying “ express yourself, ” to which Takacs-Escobar answers: “I’m scared. I’m really scared. I’m terrified,” the Ventura County Star reported.
An ex-girlfriend
As investigators were looking into Takacs-Escobar’s death, they found and identified an ex-girlfriend who prosecutors say was also abused by Nava.
The pair began dating as teenagers “and their relationship escalated quickly,” prosecutors said.
At one point in their relationship, “Nava brought her into his home, confined her to a closet, and beat her,” according to prosecutors.
She tried to run; however, prosecutors said “Nava found her and threatened her with a knife until she got into his vehicle.”
When she was 17, the girl got pregnant, prosecutors said.
“Nava punched her in the stomach and convinced her to get an abortion,” prosecutors said.
The pair split once Nava started dating Takacs-Escobar in the summer of 2021, according to prosecutors.
Nava’s case will be discussed in court again Wednesday, Oct. 16, when a judge will rule on several special allegations, prosecutors said.
“The allegations include whether the crimes involved great violence and if the victims were vulnerable,” prosecutors said.
Thousand Oaks is about a 40-mile drive northwest from Los Angeles.
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