A Thousand Oaks man has been sentenced to over 50 years to life in prison after being convicted of the first-degree murder and torture of his girlfriend, as well as kidnapping and torturing a previous partner. According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Saul C Nava, 24, received his sentence following a trial that presented harrowing evidence of his actions.
The violence came to light on December 24, 2021, when Nava himself called 911 from the studio apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Alisen Takacs-Escobar, whose lifeless body bore the visible signs of the sustained and brutal attack she had suffered. Found with multiple injuries by deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the victim showed signs of extensive bruising, a significant laceration on her head, and offensive words tattooed on her, the tattoo equipment surrounded by evidence of their use, including baseball bats, a hammer, and a screwdriver at the scene.
Videos found on Nava's phone, recorded hours before Ms. Takacs-Escobar's death, displayed Nava taunting her amidst her deteriorating condition. As the ex-girlfriend who survived Nava's previous abuses came forward, a history of violence unfolded, revealing a similar pattern of confinement and beatings that ceased only upon Nava's relationship with Ms. Takacs-Escobar in the summer of 2021. Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell from the DA's Major Crimes Homicide Unit, who prosecuted the case, was quoted saying, "While nothing will make the victim’s family whole again, this sentence will protect the community from an offender who tortured and abused vulnerable victims."
In addition to the crimes involving his partners, Nava was also convicted of child pornography possession. The severity of the sentence reflects the convictions spanning nine felony charges, encompassing aggravated mayhem, torture, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, infliction of corporal injury, and special allegations tied to the use of violence and weapons, victim vulnerability, and the premeditated nature of his crimes. The community's safety, against a backdrop of such heinous acts, has been prioritized by the actions of the Ventura County legal apparatus.
