Marysville man sentenced for dousing roommate in hand sanitizer and lighting her on fire
YUBA COUNTY - A Marysville man was sentenced to 16 years in state prison for dousing his roommate in hand sanitizer and lighting her on fire in September, prosecutors said.
The Yuba County District Attorney's Office said Juan Medina, 70, was sentenced for forcible rape and arson of a 59-year-old woman he lived with in Marysville.
Officers responded to Medina's home after prosecutors said Medina called for an ambulance for his roommate.
When first responders arrived, they said Medina claimed his roommate caught herself on fire when she tried to light a cigarette after using hand sanitizer.
Medina's roommate was found in a bathtub and could not speak as more than 10% of her body suffered second and third-degree burns. She was rushed to hospital and underwent multiple skin graft surgeries.
Officers recognized the burns did not match Medina's story and an investigation was started.
Detectives learned Medina squirted hand sanitizer on his roommate's hands during an argument and lit her shirt on fire using a butane torch. Prosecutors said Medina helped put the flames out but did not call for help for hours.
Prosecutors said dispatch had received calls from the same area leading up to the incident, but no one spoke with dispatch during those calls. During one call, prosecutors said dispatch heard a woman talking about being raped and saying someone was trying to scare her with a torch.
Officers could not find the exact location of those calls at the time due to poor geolocation.
Detectives did a follow-up interview with the victim and confirmed she made the calls. Prosecutors said she had been held for days and raped by Medina.