East Wenatchee Man Convicted of Rape Gets 32 Years to Life
Following his sentencing on Thursday in Chelan County Superior Court, an East Wenatchee man will spend, minimally, 32 years in prison.
His sentence may well prove to be longer. That's up to the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board.
Back in August, a jury found 48-year-old Israel Gonzalez-Muñoz guilty on one count of second-degree rape, one count of second-degree assault and five counts of first-degree voyeurism. The assault was deemed sexually motivated; that carries with it a heightened penalty, according to the Chelan County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Gonzalez-Muñoz will serve an additional two years.
The charges stem from an alleged attack in Wenatchee in 2020.
That October, a young woman awoke disoriented and partly unclothed in a stranger's apartment, she told police. The woman had been overserved at a party the night before; a male guest (Gonzalez-Muñoz) volunteered to escort her home. Instead he reportedly raped the unconscious woman and photographed her genitals.
She was present for Gonzalez-Muñoz' sentencing last week. Fighting back tears, she read aloud her victim impact statement.
The letter illustrates intense despair, distrust, loss of interest, concentration and wages. There's also frustration with the slothlike gears of the justice system.
"When things started getting serious and my prosecutor would reach out to me with a trial date, my life began to crack again. For four years my trial date kept getting pushed back which messed with my emotions. I would get very anxious, nervous, scared and depressed thinking about the date getting closer and closer."
"One word that I would use to describe how the crime has left me feeling, because it is rather difficult both intellectually and emotionally to put it into words, is powerless."