Man sentenced to 177 years for robbing and raping prostitutes
May 30, 2016
A 52-year-old Santa Maria man was sentenced to more than 177 years in prison for raping and robbing women in San Luis Obispo County at gunpoint. His victims were prostitutes. [KSBY]
On March 14, 2013, Gregory Arthur Erwin, a former felon, agreed to meet a prostitute shortly after midnight at her room at the San Luis Inn and Suites in San Luis Obispo. When he arrived, he sexually assaulted her, stole cash from her purse and fled.
During the assault, Erwin pointed a handgun at the woman and threatened to kill her. The victim reported Erwin’s license plate number to police and San Luis Obispo officers arrested him.
During their investigation, officers discovered Erwin also raped and robbed a prostitute in Pismo Beach earlier in March 2013, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
In March, a San Luis Obispo jury convicted Erwin of 11 criminal counts. The convictions included two counts of forcible rape with personal use of a firearm and two counts of forcible oral copulation with personal use of a firearm.
Erwin was also convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon. He pleaded guilty to that charge.
Four of Erwin’s convictions carried mandatory sentences of 25 years to life in prison. Erwin’s sentencing was scheduled for April 7, but it was delayed because he fired his attorney and decided to represent himself.
On Thursday, a judge sentenced Erwin to 157 years to life in prison plus and additional 20 years and eight months.
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