Man Molested, Threatened, Held Boys Near Temecula: Gets Life

MURRIETA, CA — An Aguanga man was sentenced this week to life in prison without the possibility of parole after his recent conviction in a disturbing kidnapping and assault case. The man, Randy John Morasch, not only kidnapped and raped two teen boys, but he also tried to have them intimidated or killed after his arrest, according to prosecutors.

Morasch, 55, was convicted by a Murrieta jury on Dec. 7 of 22 felony counts including kidnapping, solicitation of murder, sodomy by force or fear, oral copulation by force or fear, dissuading a victim or witness, and assault with a gun. On Thursday, he was sentenced to 64 years in prison, plus 360 years in prison, and life in prison without the possibility of parole for his offenses.

The man was first arrested back in June 2014 after he fled to Northern California and was arrested in a high-speed chase.

"After his arrest, and while in custody awaiting trial, Morasch contacted his stepson, Dennis James 'DJ' Harrison, in an attempt to intimidate or kill the two victims," the Riverside County District Attorney's Office said in a news release. "Morasch told Harrison that, if the victims recanted or were unable to testify, he would go free."

What Morasch didn't realize, though, was that those calls to his stepson were recorded at the jail, the DA's office said. There were also instructions within a "detailed letter" to his stepson.

"Morasch told his stepson to poison or 'watch Breaking Bad' to learn how to get rid of the two victims in his case," according to prosecutors.

Harrison, now 33, pleaded guilty in July to two counts of dissuading a victim or witness. He's now serving a 6 year prison sentence of his own.

THE CASE

According to Deputy District Attorney Marcus Garrett, the offenses committed by Morasch occurred between 2006 and 2014 and involved a 16-year-old runaway boy identified in court documents only as "P.N." and a 17-year-old boy identified as "A.B."

In the case of P.N., Morasch invited the homeless youth to stay with him at his house, located in the hills around Anza, a dozen miles east of Temecula. Morasch worked to win the boy's confidence, allowing him to freely shoot guns, consume alcohol and ride ATVs, Garrett said.

After the boy settled into the ex-con's home, Morasch showed him a homemade pornographic movie featuring his then-teenage stepson, Harrison, having sexual intercourse with a teenage girl, Garrett said.

While viewing the video, Morasch raped P.N. and forced him to perform oral sex, the prosecutor said.

The victim was sexually abused on multiple occasions in the ensuing months, according to the prosecution. The boy made several attempts to get away from Morasch, who told him that he was "affiliated with the Hell's Angels and ... could have P.N. killed," Garrett wrote in a trial brief.

On one occasion, the teen ran out of the house, and Morasch fired a gun to stop the victim, who was not injured, according to the prosecutor. Ultimately, the boy was able to procure help and flee the residence permanently.

In 2013, Morasch was introduced to A.B. through a mutual friend and offered to take the runaway into his house and let him stay rent-free, according to the prosecution. The youth was further permitted to use "vehicles, guns and drugs" to put him at ease -- and keep him under the defendant's sway, Garrett wrote.

After a few days, Morasch asked the victim to join him in his bedroom to watch porn, and when the teen tried to leave, the defendant "grabbed A.B., put handcuffs on his wrists, bent him over the bed and forcibly sodomized him," according to the prosecutor.

Morasch began using open threats to make the victim comply with his sexual demands and deter him from leaving the property, Garrett said.

"These threats included occasions when the defendant pointed a loaded handgun in the direction of the victim and pulled the trigger," the prosecutor said, adding that the boy was not struck by gunfire.

A.B. reunited with his family six months later and revealed what had happened to him.

Sheriff's investigators were alerted, and just as they prepared to serve an arrest warrant at the Anza property in June 2014, Morasch fled to the Sacramento area, where the high-speed chase occurred prior to his arrest.

According to court records, Morasch's prior convictions included assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest, burglary and receiving stolen property.

— City News Service contributed to this report / Booking photo courtesy of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department