Man Admits Sexually Abusing Five Riverside Girls Just as Trial Starts

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – A 49-year-old man Wednesday admitted sexually assaulting his four nieces and another girl in Riverside over a period of years, eliminating the need for a trial in which the girls were expected to testify. Eliezer Job Mendoza Quevedo pleaded guilty to 17 felony offenses, including forcible lewd acts on a child, oral copulation of a minor under 10 years old and attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child. Quevedo and his public defender notified Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst early Wednesday afternoon — after a jury had already been sworn to hear the case — that he desired a change of plea. Hollenhorst questioned the defendant to determine whether he understood his rights, and according to court minutes, Quevedo acknowledged comprehension of the consequences of his guilty plea, at which point the judge certified it and scheduled a sentencing hearing for April 7 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. The defendant is facing life in prison. He’s being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta. According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, Quevedo targeted his four nieces, identified in court records by their initials, "A.D.," "G.G.," "Y.D." and "Y.E.," as well as another girl, "C.P.," not related to him, on multiple occasions between 2004 and 2016. The children were between 8 and 10 years old at the time. The assaults occurred at residences in the 5300 block of El Molino Avenue and the 5600 block of Arlington Avenue in Riverside. The brief described instances when the defendant would find ways to be alone with the girls, generally in their bedrooms while they were playing games, and fondle their privates. Quevedo would force their legs open so he could "digitally penetrate" the minors, according to the brief. In the case of Y.D., when she was 8 years old, Quevedo on one occasion "entered her bedroom (and) bent her over the bed," according to the brief. "He stood behind her and rubbed his penis against her butt, over her clothes," court papers stated. One of his preferred methods of molestation was to force the girls to sit on his pelvic region while he did sit-ups, according to the prosecution. The victims told investigators that Quevedo did not try to hide being aroused. The only child who adamantly resisted was C.P., whose mother would leave her with the defendant’s wife as part of the latter’s babysitting work, prosecutors said. The victim said that when the defendant tried to fondle her, she screamed, forcing him to immediately stop. Another time, he grabbed her buttocks, and she fought him off and called her father, court papers said. The incident was reported to law enforcement, but little came of it, according to the prosecution. The investigation didn’t begin in earnest until April 2021, when Y.E. approached Riverside Police Department detectives at the age of 19, after being encouraged by counselors to speak out, according to court papers. Quevedo was taken into custody without incident at a residence on Mount Vernon Street during the morning of April 16, 2021. He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.