A California man has been convicted of many felonies, including first-degree murder, in the 2021 Christmas Eve killing of his girlfriend, who was found horrifically beaten and newly tattooed with what prosecutors characterized as “degrading words.”
Alisen Takacs-Escobar, 24, was discovered dead on December 24, 2021, in her Thousand Oaks, Calif., home after “days of beating and torturing” at the hands of her lover Saul C Nava, according to a Ventura County District Attorney’s office statement. Her age was not disclosed in the statement, which was reported by The Sacramento Bee and the VC Star.
Nava, 24, has been convicted of first-degree murder, torture, kidnapping, and possession of child pornography, among other offenses, according to a statement released by the district attorney’s office on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Authorities claim the kidnapping and torture convictions stemmed from his abuse of a former girlfriend, who was not named in the statement.
On December 24, 2021, police responded to a 911 call from Nava and discovered Takacs-Escobar with severe injuries, including a “large laceration” on her head and “degrading words” newly tattooed in the center of her chest, according to the DA’s office.
Police discovered tattoo equipment, baseball bats, a hammer, and a screwdriver in the apartment, alleging that they were used to torture the victim. Police also discovered videos on Nava’s phone from the hours before her death, in which he was “taunting her and displaying no concern for her worsening condition,” according to the DA’s office statement.
He was arrested on the spot. Prior to killing Takacs-Escobar, authorities discovered that Nava was in a relationship with another young woman, whom he tormented and kidnapped.
The two began their relationship as teenagers, and when it “escalated quickly,” Nava dragged the young woman to his home, locked her in a closet, and beat her, according to the statement. After she became pregnant, he hit her in the stomach and forced her to have an abortion, according to the district attorney’s office.
He also secretly recorded sex with the young woman, according to the statement.
“Although this result cannot erase the immeasurable pain the defendant inflicted on the victims and their families, we hope that it brings some measure of closure to see him held accountable for his horrific crimes,” Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell said in a statement.
A sentencing date was not immediately available.
Reference:
Man Tortured, Killed Girlfriend Found with ‘Degrading’ Tattoos on Her Chest on Christmas Eve