A man who kidnapped and raped two young women in Buckhead while posing as an Uber driver was sentenced Friday to life plus 60 years in prison, authorities said.
Gabriel Rendon-Villasana, 33, of Duluth, was found guilty of pretending to be an Uber driver at least twice, convincing women to get into his car when they left bars and then sexually assaulting them inside his vehicle, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Both of Rendon-Villasana’s victims got into his car with male friends, and he assaulted them after dropping the other passengers off, the jury found. In court Friday, both women spoke about the trauma they experienced, Channel 2 Action News reported.
“This man tossed aside my basic rights as a human being,” one of the women said. “The consequences of drinking are a hangover, a headache, nausea. Not rape. Not kidnapping. Not aggravated assault.”
It’s the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s policy to not identify victims of rape and sexual assault.
She said the attack left her traumatized and living in constant fear, Channel 2 reported.
“When I take my dog outside, I’m constantly worried someone is going to shove me into their car and drive away,” she said. “It’s little everyday things like this that will never be the same for me.”
On June 21, 2015, Rendon-Villasana sped off with a 19-year-old woman in the back of his car after dropping off her male friend at a hotel at Tower Place and Piedmont Road, the release said.
Her friend called Atlanta police to report the kidnapping, and the woman was found on Lakemore Drive by a good Samaritan after being raped by Rendon-Villasana, the release said.
Four months later, he did almost the exact same thing to a 22-year-old woman after dropping off her male friend at his home, the release said. Sandy Springs police spotted his Kia Sorrento about 14 miles from the man’s home, but Rendon-Villansana ran away and escaped police.
During the search of his Kia, seven pairs of used female underwear were found, the release said. He was arrested one day later in Marietta.
He was convicted of 10 charges between the two incidents, including rape, aggravated assault with intent to rape and kidnapping, Fulton County Jail records show. He also had an immigration customs enforcement hold placed on him.
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