A jury has convicted a 51-year-old man of kidnapping and s*xually assaulting a child more than a decade ago.
On July 15, 2012, Francisco Javier Lopez, of Montebello, who was 38 at the time, kidnapped a 6-year-old girl in broad daylight while she was playing outside her home in the 1400 block of S. Townsend Street.
He drove her to a nearby parking lot, where he s*xually assaulted her before abandoning her near her home.
Santa Ana Police Detectives launched an extensive investigation and submitted DNA evidence from the scene to California’s statewide database.
The DNA results generated a historic lead, matching a female relative of Lopez. This was the first female familial DNA match in Orange County and only the second in California’s history, providing crucial evidence to solve the case.
In 2019, Santa Ana Police Detectives arrested Lopez, who was subsequently charged with multiple counts of kidnapping and s*xual assault.
On September 16, 2025, Lopez was convicted of 11 counts, including:
- 1 felony count of kidnapping to commit a s*x offense
- 1 felony count of oral c*pulation of a child under the age of 11
- 3 felony counts of s*xual penetration of a child under the age of 11
- 1 felony count of s*xual intercourse with a child under the age of 11
- 5 felony counts of a forcible l*wd and l*scivious act with a child under the age of 14
He is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on October 9, 2025.
Francisco Javier Lopez, convicted on September 16, 2025, of multiple felony counts including kidnapping and sexually assaulting a child under the age of 11, is facing a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
This outcome is based on the severity of the charges.
These enhancements and the nature of the crimes qualify Lopez for California’s life without parole sentencing guidelines, especially under laws related to aggravated sexual assault of minors and kidnapping with intent to commit rape.