December 12, 2019- Commonwealth v. Eliseo Navedo:  Eliseo Navedo, 60 formerly of Dauphin, PA, was sentenced to 18 to 36 years in state prison by President Judge Richard A. Lewis for a rape he committed in 2015.  During the sentencing hearing, President Judge Lewis remarked that the victim’s testimony in the trial was “very compelling”. 

Navedo was found guilty after a jury trial in September of Rape; Involuntary Sexual Assault; Unlawful Restraint; Simple Assault; Indecent Assault; and Terroristic Threats.  The Court reflected that the victim, who had been struggling with drug addiction, was extremely vulnerable.  Rather than helping her, the Court noted the defendant engaged in “manipulation and exploitation” of the victim culminating with a violent attack on August 15, 2015.  The Court also noted the defendant was previously convicted of third-degree murder in 1984—a case in Berks county where the defendant beat his girlfriend’s 18 month old child to death. 

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Gettle indicated that had it not been for the victim’s ability to get away from the defendant during the rape—and the fact that a stranger opened the door of their home in the middle of the night to a beaten and bleeding victim- the victim may have been another homicide victim.  Navedo was facing a minimum ten-year sentence, however the Court structured the sentence to give the defendant an additional 8-16 years on top of the mandatory sentence.

After the sentencing, CDDA Gettle thanked the Pennsylvania State Police for their efforts to bring justice for the victim.  “The victim has been inspirational—she faced horrific abuse at the hands of the defendant and then faced her attacker in courtroom—her strength in this process has been remarkable.  The sentence today guarantees that the community will be protected from this violent offender.”   

Affiants Trooper Brent Miller and Trooper Jeremy Baluh

Victim Advocates Amber Mann and Tanya Snell