A 22-year-old man was ordered March 4 to stand trial for kidnapping for rape and felony assault of a young woman who was leaving the UTC mall last August when she was dragged 20 yards into some bushes.
The victim was the sole witness in the preliminary hearing of Adan Espinoza Moore Jr., who was also ordered to stand trial for attempted rape, sexual battery by restraint, assault with intent to commit rape and false imprisonment.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Lorna Alksne ordered Moore to next appear in court March 18 to set a trial date. Moore, also known as Adan Espinoza, has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail on $250,000 bail. Deputy District Attorney Aidee Brunner said she reached a stipulation with Moore’s attorney for the hearing that stated Moore’s DNA was found in various places on the victim’s body. The stipulation allowed the judge to consider the DNA evidence without putting on evidence technicians. The victim, 21, was leaving the mall at 4545 La Jolla Village Drive on Aug. 30 and was about to cross a pedestrian bridge when the suspect approached her from behind. She was dragged up a grassy knoll 20 yards and into some bushes north of the Scripps Well Being building. She allegedly offered him jewelry and her wallet, but he reportedly told her to “keep it.”
Her screams attracted the attention of two witnesses, said Brunner. Moore claimed the woman was his girlfriend, but the woman denied this before Moore ran off. A witness gave a cell phone to the victim, who called 911, and she was taken to a hospital.
San Diego Police arrested Moore on Nov. 17, 2014 after the DNA match was discovered several days earlier. Brunner said she couldn’t talk about the circumstances of his arrest involving DNA.
— Neal Putnam