Atlanta

Man raped women inside car after posing as Uber driver

ATLANTA — A man who posed as an Uber driver and raped two women will not have another chance to do it again.

Channel 2's Tom Regan was in the courtroom Friday as the convicted rapist, Gabriel Rendon Villasana, was sentenced.

Regan said Villasana showed little emotion as the judge said he would spend the rest of his life in jail after raping two women.

In two separate instances, Villasana posed as an Uber driver and convinced the women to get into his car, after they left bars in Buckhead.

He then drove to an isolated area where he sexually assaulted them inside his vehicle.

Regan said Villasana’s victims, whom we are not identifying, gave heartbreaking testimony before the court prior to his sentencing Friday.

“A piece of my body was stolen from me. That's something you will never be able to get back,” one victim said.

She told the judge she has lasting trauma and fear from the night three years ago when she was kidnapped on a Buckhead street by Villasana, who was posing an Uber driver. He later sexually assaulted her.

“There's so many times when I’m out in the middle of something, a memory or thought hits me and I'm crippled with fear," the victim said.

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She said her terrifying ordeal and the aftermath have taken a heavy toll on her family.

“I know my parents have been scared to death. This has been an absolute nightmare of something, like, to happen to your child,” the victim said.

The other victim wept at times, as she recounted the crime and the profound impact it has had on her life.

“I'll never forget the feeling of full terror,” the other victim said. “This man tossed aside my basic rights as a human being. He took advantage of me, overpowered me.”

“When I take my dog outside, I'm constantly worried someone is going to shove me into their car and drive away," the first victim said. “I fear this is something that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

The woman encouraged the judge to impose the maximum sentence against the convicted rapist.
Villasana was sentenced to life plus 60 years

“Clearly, this man has malicious intentions, is a danger to the public, the community," one of the victims said.

The women thanked the Fulton County prosecutor's office for its handling of their cases and for getting the conviction and justice.