Man charged with 11 felonies for alleged sexual assault and robbery in West Valley City

This story invovles rape and/or sexual assault. Contact the rape and sexual assault hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673).

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC4) — A man is facing 11 felony charges after threatening, sexually assaulting, and robbing a West Valley City woman.

Efrain Monroy-Lara, 30, has been charged with 11 felonies, including aggravated kidnapping, child kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, and aggravated burglary with a dangerous weapon.

“The alleged offenses are extremely violent and are not tolerated in Salt Lake County. My heart goes out to the victim-survivor that experienced such depravity. I hope the filing of these charges is the start of her healing journey,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill is quoted as saying in a press release.

According to documents, the female victim and survivor was at her home in West Valley City when someone knocked on her door. Believing it was her roommate, she opened the door but saw two males instead. One of the men, later identified as Monroy-Lara, was holding a gun.

The victim told police that the two men forced their way into the home and told her to look down and face the wall. She asked the assailants not to hurt her or the child in the home, who was in the next room. Monroy-Lara continued pointing the gun at her while the other man — whose identity is unknown at this time — began searching the residence.

The two men stole jewelry that the survivor was wearing and threatened to kill her if she didn’t tell them where her money and financial cards were. They also threatened to kill the child in the home if she did not comply with their demands.

According to a release from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, Monroy-Lara then “raped the victim-survivor and told her that he was going to kill her.”

A car “beeped” outside the residence, and the two men threatened to kill her again and exited the residence.

Following the assault and robbery, the victim and survivor checked her bank account and saw that her financial cards were being used at gas stations in Utah, Nevada, and California.

During a police investigation, DNA evidence connected to Monroy-Lara was discovered. A photo from a gas station where the survivor’s cards were used was also identified as Monroy-Lara. He was taken into custody on a warrant for his arrest.

“Thank you to our law enforcement partners with the West Valley City Police Department for their diligence. All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law,” Gill states in the release.

According to documents, Monroy-Lara is “illegally or unlawfully in the United States.” He is currently being held at the Salt Lake County Jail.