Quick-thinking woman and DNA solve cold case sexual assault, NM officials say
A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman more than a decade ago has been convicted, New Mexico prosecutors said.
Omar Navarro-Flores was convicted in the 2014 cold case sexual assault of a woman, the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office said in a May 30 Facebook post.
Navarro-Flores pleaded not guilty at his June 2019 arraignment, court documents show.
In a June 2 email to McClatchy News, Assistant Public Defender Graham Dumas, Navarro-Flores' attorney, noted that his client's conviction came during a retrial 'after he was acquitted in November of a number of very serious offenses.'
'The Defense stand by our argument that he was denied a fair trial by the incredibly poor police investigation into the case. The police, who allowed this case to lie dormant for five years, did not even try to locate critical witnesses or surveillance footage from the street corner where Mr. Navarro-Flores first allegedly encountered (the woman),' Dumas said. 'By the time this case was indicted in 2019, no amount of defense investigation could address that issue.'
As a woman was walking to a bus stop May 6, 2014, a man grabbed her and 'threw her in his car,' prosecutors said.
The man drove around Albuquerque with the woman, threatening 'she would never see her children again,' prosecutors said.
He sexually assaulted and physically attacked her, 'hitting her head against the steering wheel, and slapping her,' according to prosecutors.
During the alleged attack, the woman managed to write down the man's license plate number on her wrist, prosecutors said.
After being dropped off at the State Fairgrounds area, the woman contacted security, who 'called police and an ambulance,' prosecutors said.
The woman gave police the license plate number from her wrist, prosecutors said.
Days later, officers pulled Navarro-Flores over, then 'his car was towed and searched,' prosecutors said.
DNA ultimately linked Navarro-Flores to the alleged sexual assault, according to prosecutors.
He was arrested in June 2019, court records show.
On May 30, a jury found Navarro-Flores guilty of criminal sexual contact and false imprisonment, prosecutors said.
'We will continue to fight for Mr. Navarro-Flores at sentencing, and on appeal if he so chooses,' Dumas said.
Navarro-Flores' conviction comes after the city of Albuquerque established a project to test a backlog of rape kits per the direction of Mayor Tim Keller's 2018 executive order, the city says on its website.
'The implementation of The Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Backlog Reduction Project is the first step to correcting oversights and changing the course of action for the future,' the website says.
Between 2017 and 2020, more than 4,500 backlogged sexual assault evidence kits were tested, data on the city's website shows.
'As part of a coordinated effort to address Albuquerque's backlog of untested, Sexual Assault Kit cases,' the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative was also formed, according to the district attorney's website.
'The SAKI Team, a dedicated group of attorneys, investigators and victim advocates, is tasked with reviewing, testing and prosecuting rape kit backlog cases and working with victims to build cases and provide them with supportive services and resources,' the website says.
The district attorney's office SAKI unit, which has had 24 cold case rape convictions in two years, prosecuted Navarro-Flores' case, prosecutors said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Worthington man charged with multiple felonies for assault
Jun. 22—WORTHINGTON — Rodrigo Narviez Esparza, 37, of Worthington, is charged with three felonies including third degree assault, domestic assault and threats of violence, plus a gross misdemeanor of fourth degree assault following a June 7 incident in Worthington. According to the law enforcement report, various Worthington Police Officers responded to Sanford Worthington Medical Center following the report of an assault taking place. Upon arrival, officers met with the victim who had a laceration on their upper lip and was trying to stop it from bleeding and they appeared to be distressed. There was also fresh bruising on their arms and face and their right arm was in a cast. The victim reportedly stated that their roommate, identified as Narvies Esparza, had punched them in the face without warning earlier that day while they were both at their apartment in Worthington. According to the report, Narvies Esparza threatened to "have people kill" the victim if they told anyone about the assault. They shared that Narvies Esparza had supposedly given people information about them and they "had the green light to be looking for" the victim now. The victim stated they were scared to return to the apartment. The victim also shared that Narvies Esparza had assaulted them numerous times within the past year, allegedly breaking their tooth and thumb during prior incidents. The victim reported that Narvies Esparza was always starting fights by calling them by derogatory names They also shared that in the summer of 2024, Narvies Esparza allegedly held a gun to their chest and threatened to kill them. The officer who interviewed the victim observed that they seemed very reluctant to share this information, as they believed they would be killed for talking to law enforcement. The victim appeared very upset and scared, it was noted in the report. Hospital staff reportedly treated the victim with stitches due to the deep cut on their lip where a tooth had cut through. Medical staff advised officers the victim had numerous other wounds that were in varying stages of healing. Narvies Esparza was located outside the apartment building a short while later and was arrested and transported to jail. According to the report, he has two other assault convictions. Narvies Esparza was scheduled to appear Monday in Nobles County Fifth District Court. Note: This article was written based on information reported by local law enforcement agencies. The Globe reminds readers that all individuals are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The Southwest Crisis Center is available in our community to support and empower survivors of sexual and domestic violence. For questions about services or how you can help, contact the Southwest Crisis Center at 1-800-376-4311 or . The SWCC also serves Cottonwood, Rock, Murray, Jackson, Pipestone, Lyon, Lincoln, Redwood, Renville and Yellow Medicine counties. All references to the victim have been changed to they/them to help protect the victim's identity.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
1 cut with knife in Battle Creek; 1 arrested
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — A woman was arrested after a woman was cut with a knife early Saturday morning in Battle Creek. Shortly after midnight, officers with the Battle Creek Police Department were sent to the area of Parkway Drive near Hubbard Street after receiving reports about an assault with a knife. Responding officers found a 29-year-old Battle Creek woman with injuries. She was treated at the scene and released. She directed officers toward a group of people who were trying to get into a vehicle about a block from the scene. The officers stopped the group before they left and identified a 21-year-old woman as the suspect who had cut the woman, the sheriff's office said. She was arrested at the scene and is being held in the Calhoun County Jail. It's unclear what led up to the assault. The assault remains under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
Man, 20, charged in shooting that injured 2 Southgate police officers
A 20-year-old man is facing 15 criminal charges in a shooting Thursday that injured two Southgate police officers, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. Jeremiah Kemp of Wayne, Michigan, is charged with three counts of assault with intent to murder, three counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, one count of discharge of a firearm causing serious impairment, one count of carrying a concealed weapon and seven counts of felony firearm. Kemp was arraigned on Sunday in district court. Three officers responded to an apartment at 13200 Village Park Dr. in Southgate, Michigan, around 6 p.m. According to the prosecutor's office, Kemp was allegedly on the second floor of the apartment with a handgun. Responding officers located Kemp in a laundry room. The prosecutor's office says Kemp then shot two of the officers in their legs. The third officer was not injured. Officials said Kemp jumped out of a window and left the area. He was found and arrested around two hours after the shooting. The two officers shot have been identified by police as 45-year-old Jason Jones and 28-year-old Matthew Dube. Both are at home and recovering. Officer Jason Jones (left) and Officer Matthew Dube Southgate Police Department A judge set Kemp's bond at $1 million. If posted, he'll be under house arrest with a GPS tether, and he won't be able to contact witnesses, the prosecutor's office said. A probable cause conference for Kemp is scheduled for July 7, followed by a preliminary examination on July 11. Note: The above video first aired on June 20, 2025.
