Napa Man Gets 104 Years In Prison For Molesting 2 Young Girls

NAPA COUNTY, CA — A 36-year-old Napa man was sentenced Sept. 17 to 104 years to life in prison for molesting two young girls, the Napa County District Attorney's Office announced.

Additionally, Napa County Superior Court Judge Scott Young awarded $700,000 in noneconomic damages to the victims and their parents.

Following an eight-day trial, Gabriel Elena Lopez was found guilty July 8 of nine criminal charges and eight special allegations.

Napa County jurors convicted Lopez of forcible rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object, forcible oral copulation of a minor, two counts of forcible lewd act upon a child, three counts of lewd act upon a child, and one count of contact with minor for sexual offense.

The jury also found true special allegations that Lopez committed a sexual offense against multiple victims.

The convictions are the result of sexual contact Lopez had with two daughters of a woman he was living with between 2011 and 2014 in Napa County. The girls were between 7 and 16 years old at the time of the molestations, the DA's Office said.

The sexual abuse was disclosed to a family member who reported it at a Napa emergency women’s shelter.

During the jury trial, the girls, now 17 and 23 years old, testified against their abuser.

"The defendant previously pled no contest to rape and child molest of a victim under 14 years of age and admitted to more than one victim," said Napa County Deputy District Attorney Kecia Lund, who prosecuted the case.

"In 2016, he agreed to and was sentenced to a state prison sentence of 35 years to life. The defendant appealed and asked to withdraw his plea so he could discharge his retained defense counsel with whom he was dissatisfied," Lund said.

"The Court of Appeal agreed that his dissatisfaction was reasonable and the case was sent back to Napa Superior Court and the defendant was appointed new counsel. The defendant demanded a jury trial as is his absolute right and this request was honored."