Merced man convicted in sexual assaults on seven women

A Merced man has been convicted of sexual attacks on seven women from 2011 to 2014.

Yeng Kong Moua, 26, was found guilty by a Merced Superior Court jury of nearly a dozen criminal charges, including assault with intent to commit sexual assault, sexual penetration with a foreign object and making criminal threats.

Prosecutors said Moua assaulted multiple women, primarily joggers, in the cities of Merced and Atwater and in unincorporated parts of Merced County.

“In this case, we had a victim identify the suspect from a photo lineup, and the victims, all seven victims, testified,” said Thomas Min, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case. “It took a lot of guts, a lot of courage, for all seven to relive those terrible experiences.”

The verdict was handed down Friday after a two-week trial before Judge John Kirihara in Merced Superior Court.

Efforts to reach Moua’s attorney, Gary George, and Moua’s family by telephone were unsuccessful Monday.

From 2011 to the time of Moua’s arrest, Merced police received more than a half-dozen reports of sexual batteries, all on the north side of Merced. The description of the attacker was very similar in each case, police said.

In at least two of the attacks, prosecutors said, Moua grabbed the women and sexually assaulted them under their clothing.

Moua was arrested March 27, 2014, after an additional woman saw news stories about the attacks and came forward with information police said led them to Moua.

One of the attacks was reported Jan. 29, 2013, in the area of Dunn and Paulson roads in Merced. The victim told police the attacker, later identified as Moua, approached her in the early morning hours while she was jogging.

He made several sexual comments to the victim and grabbed her arm “violently,” when she tried to run away, according to Merced police reports obtained by the Sun-Star.

According to police reports, the victim managed to get away, but Moua yelled out that he would “kill” her as she sprinted toward a nearby family member’s home.

Min said officers from Atwater and Merced and sheriff’s deputies “did an excellent job” compiling reports and information that eventually led to Moua’s capture. Min specifically praised the casework done by Merced police Detective Raquel Rios, the lead investigator in the case.

Rios said the agencies working together was critical to cracking the case.

“Each survivor had to relive being assaulted to testify against the defendant, and the poise and strength they had was a display of bravery,” Rios said. “I’m elated and truly relieved that the jurors sought the correct outcome in finding the defendant guilty.”

Moua remains in custody without bail at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility. He is set to appear again May 23 for sentencing.

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Merced man convicted in sexual assaults on seven women."