Rape survivor’s testimony helps send attacker to prison

CHARLOTTE — A rape survivor’s brave testimony helped send her attacker to prison, a spokesperson for the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office said Monday.

In a news release, the spokesperson said a jury found Rene Villavicencio guilty at the end of a trial that began on Sept. 9.

The survivor testified that she went to a birthday party in August 2020 and slept there because she was intoxicated and didn’t feel safe enough to drive. She said she woke up a few hours later to Villavicencio sexually assaulting her.

The victim got up to drive home and stopped to use the bathroom on the way out. She said that was when Villavicencio went into the bathroom behind her, pinned her against the sink, and raped her.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested Villavicencio nearly two years later after a DNA match.

“The District Attorney’s Office is incredibly grateful for the courage and strength shown by the survivor and her willingness to stand up to protect other women and the entire community,” the news release reads.

Villavicencio was convicted of second-degree rape, second-degree forcible rape, second-degree sex offense, and first-degree kidnapping. He will spend up to 24 years in prison and must register as a sex offender.

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