Potential rapist who attacked two RivCo seniors faces sentencing

Alex Lohany Soza pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rape and elder abuse.

July 12, 2024, 12:21 PDT

RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA – A 27-year-old man who attacked two Moreno Valley seniors and attempted to sexually assault one of the women is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.

Alex Lohany Soza pleaded guilty in May to assault with intent to commit rape and elder abuse, as well as an aggravated charge of aggravated battery on a person over 65, as part of a plea agreement with Riverside County prosecutors. In exchange for his guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed to drop two related charges.

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Superior Court Judge Gary Polk is expected to confirm the terms of the deal during a hearing Friday at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Soza could receive a prison sentence of between seven and 15 years.

He is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

According to sheriff’s investigator Jomar Vanderhoof, the first attack occurred shortly after midnight on July 5, 2023, at a residence in the 12,000 block of Perris Boulevard, where Soza appeared at the resident’s door and knocked until she opened the door.

“When the victim opened the door, the suspect entered the house, began strangling her and knocked her to the ground,” Vanderhoof said.

The senior, identified in court documents only as “MM,” was able to break free from Soza’s grip and then fled, the sheriff’s spokesman said.

He said while patrol officers were investigating the attack, they received word that another senior citizen – “CP” – had been attacked nearly two miles away in the 24,000 block of Eucalyptus Avenue.

“The man approached the second victim and struck her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground,” Vanderhoof said. “(Soza) continued to assault the victim until a Good Samaritan distracted the suspect, who then fled. Evidence of a sexual assault was found at the scene.”

MM and CP were admitted to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment of moderate injuries, from which they have since recovered.

Vanderhoof said investigators soon developed evidence pointing to Soza as the attacker in both cases. Within 24 hours, an arrest warrant was obtained and served at his Fir Avenue apartment, where he was taken into custody without incident.

There were no documented prior felony convictions of the defendant in Riverside County.

City news service