A 24-year-old man who faces more than 50 years in prison for a 2018 sexual assault will learn his fate on Wednesday.
Kahlil Byers is scheduled to appear before Judge James Herman for sentencing in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, according to court documents.
Mr. Byers was found guilty Jan. 22 of kidnapping for purposes of sexual assault and sodomy by use of force against a homeless woman.
The jury also found true the special allegations that Mr. Byers inflicted great bodily injury upon the victim and kidnapped the victim for purposes of sexual assault.
Mr. Byers also was found guilty of committing commercial burglaries of Foot Locker and Santa Barbara Jewelry and Loan, prior to the sexual assault,
According to the Santa Barbara Police Department, at around 2:20 a.m. on April 18, 2018, Mr. Byers shattered the front window of the Paseo Nuevo Mall Foot Locker, setting off an audible alarm.
Security cameras showed him wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and making off with several items.
Around 4 a.m. that same day, a woman identified as Ms. Doe was sleeping in an entryway to a building off East Carrillo Street when Mr. Byers, a stranger to her, woke her up. As she tried to walk away Mr. Byers followed her and dragged her by her wrists and hair down a driveway. He then placed her behind a trash dumpster, where he savagely beat and forcibly sexually assaulted her.
Ms. Doe suffered a fractured left orbital bone, a fractured left cheek bone and multiple fractures to her nose. She also had a severe laceration to her upper lip that required 23 sutures, as well as a cut above her right eyebrow that also required sutures.
“The jury’s verdict is a testament to the fact that all victims will be treated equally, regardless of their socio-economic status or mental state,” said Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley in a statement following Mr. Byers’ conviction.
