Rape killer's victim’s killer released from jail after testimony

An Oregon woman whose rapist was convicted last week was jailed until she testified against him in a rare case of prosecutors compelling a victim to appear in court, her lawyer said Friday.

Her lawyer, Donald Scales, acknowledged that there were legitimate concerns about whether his client would show up to testify.

The 20-year-old woman was held for nine days beginning Sept. 6 with a bail set at $500,000 — an amount Scales described as unattainable. A jury convicted the assassin, Christian Sanchez, 30, of multiple crimes on Sept. 16, one day after the woman gave testimony in a Jackson County court, Scales said.

Sanchez was found guilty of rape, sodomy, kidnapping, assault, coercion, unlawful use of a weapon and other crimes over a 7 month period in 2020, when the woman was 18 the Jackson County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Sanchez will be sentenced on October 6. He was ordered by a judge to remain in jail without bail until sentencing.

The victim was reportedly held against her will, while Sanchez used weapons that included a hammer, a lighter and a screwdriver, according to the Associated Press.

Scales said that prosecutors asked a judge to be jailed as a material witness under a state law that allows authorities or defendants to compel testimony from people who are unlikely to appear in court.

Geil and a second prosecutor who handled the case, Zori Cook, did not respond to requests for comment. Cook described the hold as unusual but necessary, according to the Mail Tribune.

Scales said his client hadn't been checking in with victim's services officials and her relatives told the court they were concerned that she wouldn't make it.

He said they were not affirmatively recommending jail. They were essentially saying to the judge that they did not have any confidence in her making it to court and that it would still be a struggle for her to supervise.

Scales acknowledged that prosecutors had legitimate concerns and he believed that they put significant time and thought into how they handled the case.

He said that this was a last resort balancing the needs of the victim and the needs of the community to have this case resolved.

Scales asked for less restrictive measures, including an ankle monitor and a commitment from her mother and older sister, that they would keep a line of sight on her, he said.

Scales said the court felt that it wouldn't be sufficient and that the judge sided with the district attorney's office.

Scales said his client saw jail as draconian and overly intrusive. In his 25 years of practicing law, Scales said he could only think of a handful of cases in which witnesses were forced to testify. He said that the witness was a victim in only one of those cases.

He said it was one of the tough calls - the rights of the victim to be left alone versus the right of the state to prosecute crimes.