May 27, 2010
Prosecutor: Predator targeted at least nine women and girls in assaults

An Indianapolis man arrested over the weekend has been charged with sex crimes involving four victims ranging in age from 11 to 49, and Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said he planned to file two more cases later today. Three additional cases are still under investigation by Indianapolis police, he said, making for at least nine victims of Luis Gonzales. "Mr. Gonzales has essentially been preying on Hispanic adults and children (on the Westside) since at least January 2010," the prosecutor said this afternoon during a news conference. If convicted in all the cases, he could face life imprisonment.

Gonzales, 27, was in Marion Superior Court this morning for initial hearings on several of the cases. He faces a slate of charges in each of the four cases that have already been filed. The lead charges are Class A felony child molesting against an 11-year-old girl; Class A felony rape against a 40-year-old woman; Class A felony criminal deviate conduct against a 49-year-old woman; and Class D felony sexual battery against a 23-year-old woman. The two cases being filed later today involve one victim who is under 18 and one who is an adult, Brizzi said.

Gonzales has admitted the allegations in two of the cases, according to police. Brizzi said his M.O. was to approach the victims and shove a BB gun into their sides and demanding they comply with his orders. "There are other children where Mr. Gonzales has admitted to approaching them, but they managed to escape," Brizzi said. "Here's a situation where obviously he's a predator. He was going back to the same area. It seems he was unafraid about being arrested or caught."

The 11-year-old girl, who told police she was forced to perform a sex act on Gonzales May 13, reported the assault to her parents. That led to an investigation that resulted in Gonzales' arrest May 22 while he was parked in the same red truck he'd been seen driving by several victims. This week, several victims have come forward after seeing his mugshot displayed in media reports.

Brizzi applauded the women and girls for coming forward, especially since many are undocumented immigrants who may have feared the consequences of contacting police. He said there is no risk of the cases drawing the scrutiny of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the victims. But Gonzales' immigration status is still being investigated, Brizzi said. The Marion County Jail lists him as having an "immigration hold" on his release were he to make his six-figure bond.

Gonzales graduated from Lawrence North High School, Brizzi said, and has been in the United States for at least six years.

http://blogs.indystar.com/crime/2010/05/prosecutor.html