Man Tortured, Killed Girlfriend Found with 'Degrading' Tattoos on Her Chest on Christmas Eve
Alisen Takacs-Escobar was killed by Saul C Nava, who recorded himself "taunting" her during the last hours of her life
A California man has been convicted of several crimes including first-degree murder for the 2021 Christmas Eve killing of his girlfriend, who was found brutally tortured and newly tattooed with what authorities described as "degrading words."
Alisen Takacs-Escobar, 24, was found dead on Dec. 24, 2021 in a Thousand Oaks, Calif., home after suffering “days of beating and torturing” at the hands of her boyfriend Saul C Nava, according to a statement from the Ventura County District Attorney’s office. Her age was not released in the statement, and was reported by The Sacramento Bee and VC Star.
Nava, 24, has now been convicted of first-degree murder, torture, kidnapping and possession of child pornography, among other offenses, the DA’s office said in a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
The kidnapping conviction and one torture conviction, authorities say, were in connection with his abuse of a former girlfriend, who is not named in the statement.
Police responded to a 911 call from Nava on Dec. 24, 2021, and found Takacs-Escobar with brutal injuries, including a “large laceration” on her head and “degrading words” that had been newly tattooed at the center of her chest, the DA’s office said.
At the residence, police found tattoo equipment, baseball bats, a hammer and a screwdriver that they say had been used to torture the woman.
Police also found videos on Nava’s phone showing the hours leading up to her death, when he was “taunting her and displaying no concern for her worsening condition,” the DA’s office statement said.
He was arrested on the spot.
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Prior to killing Takacs-Escobar, Nava was in a relationship with another young woman who he tortured and kidnapped, police discovered during their investigation.
The two began their relationship when they were teenagers and after it “escalated quickly,” Nava brought the young woman to his home and kept her holed up in a closet and beat her, the statement said.
After she became pregnant, he punched her in the stomach and forced her to get an abortion, the DA’s office said.
He also secretly recorded having sex with the young woman, authorities said in the statement.
"Although this result cannot erase the immeasurable pain the defendant inflicted on the victims and their families, we hope that this brings some measure of closure to see him held accountable for his horrific crimes,” Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell said, per the statement.
Information about a sentencing date was not immediately available.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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