Jurors Deadlock In Trial Of RivCo Man Accused Of Repeatedly Raping Relative

INDIO, CA — Prosecutors were undecided Wednesday as to whether to retry an Indio man who allegedly sexually abused his niece repeatedly, following a jury deadlock in deliberations regarding multiple rape allegations.

After two days of deliberations, an Indio jury on Tuesday afternoon informed Riverside County Superior Court Judge James Hawkins that it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on five of 11 charges against Miguel Pedrero Tzompantzi, 40.

Jurors acquitted him of four counts of rape of a minor and convicted him of a misdemeanor charge of annoying a child. However, according to the District Attorney's Office, the panel hung 11-1 in favor of convicting Tzompantzi of five remaining charges of rape of a minor.

Prosecutors had not decided Wednesday whether to seek a retrial. The judge tentatively scheduled a sentencing hearing for Oct. 14 at the Larson Justice Center. The DA's Office may announce at that time, or before, if a retrial is planned.

The defendant is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center.

"This inexperienced child, who was at the will of an adult, was psychologically and physically abused for eight months," Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Stevenson told jurors in her closing statement last week. "She was under his thumb."

The prosecutor recalled how the then-16-year-old victim, identified in court records only as "P.T.," was entirely dependent on Tzompantzi for everything, having been sent to live with him along with her siblings while her parents, both Mexican nationals, remained in their country.

Stevenson quoted the victim's testimony, when the young woman told the court, head down in grief, "I was scared of him. I didn't know what to do."

The alleged abuse began in October 2022 with the defendant allegedly knocking P.T. to the floor, dragging her into his bedroom, holding her down and raping her, according to the prosecution. After that, there were further alleged instances of sexual assault, continuing until May 2023, by which time the victim was pregnant, Stevenson said.

Tzompantzi insisted that he and the then-teenager were in a relationship, according to testimony.

"His claims about this case from start to end are absolutely absurd," the prosecutor told the jury.

An Indio Police Department arrest warrant declaration filed in 2023 alleged that the teen was threatened by her uncle, who reportedly told her that if she revealed what had been going on, "he would deny it and blame her for everything," additionally asserting "no one wanted her, and that is why she was living with him."

The allegations surfaced after P.T. was seven months pregnant and had told her parents about the alleged assaults.

Deputy Public Defender Stephen Sadocha told jurors "it was a consensual relationship that turned sexual."

"He was taking care of her -- buying her food, taking her shopping," the attorney said.

He questioned the legitimacy of P.T.'s testimony and statements to law enforcement, arguing that there was one alleged instance when the victim initiated sexual contact with Tzompantzi in his car, parked outside a business.

"For eight months, there was no one suspicious about her behavior," Sadocha said. "Not one person reported (anything) suspicious, not a teacher or a counselor."

The attorney said there were "inconsistencies" in P.T.'s descriptions of what her uncle allegedly did, emphasizing the need for jurors to re-examine the circumstances before drawing any conclusions that could seal his client's fate.

Tzompantzi has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.