A man pleaded not guilty at the South Bay Courthouse in Chula Vista on Tuesday to forceable rape and kidnapping charges after being accused of abducting a woman, holding her captive, raping her, and demanding the woman help him dismember a corpse.
Rafael Reyes Banda, 44, is accused of abducting a 43-year-old woman and keeping her confined to a Citrus Avenue home for about a day until she was able to flee. Prosecutors allege Banda and the alleged rape victim had known each for about a week prior to the alleged abduction.
Banda is not charged in connection with the death of another woman whose body was found inside the home. Authorities have not released the identity or the cause of death of the woman. Banda’s relationship with the woman, if any, remains unclear and has not been disclosed.
Deputy District Attorney Joshua Brisbane alleged Banda accused the woman of stealing money from him, threatened her with what appeared to be a firearm, and struck her. Banda allegedly showed the woman a dead woman's body and “ordered her to assist in dismembering this deceased female,'' but Brisbane said the woman was “unable to do so.''
According to prosecutors, Banda allegedly made a series of demands, including sex, which Brisbane said the woman acquiesced to because she feared for her life.
According to San Diego Police Department Lt. Jud Campbell, the woman was able to escape Banda after he passed out from using drugs and was able to flag down a passing motorist and report her abduction.
Banda was subsequently arrested at the Citrus Avenue home, where officers discovered the dead woman's body.
Banda is also charged with assault in a separate case in East County, but further details on that case were not available.
