A sex purchaser from Buena Park was sentenced to 23 years and four months in state prison for attempting to murder a woman by stabbing her in the neck.
The defendant is 26-year-old Emmanuel Lara of Buena Park, who pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2017, to three felony counts of attempted murder, first degree robbery, first degree burglary, and dissuading a witness by force. The sentence is 23 years and four months in state prison.
Prior to Nov. 2014, the defendant met a woman online on a website known for soliciting commercial sex.
On Nov. 17, 2014, Lara arranged to meet the victim in a motel in Anaheim known for prostitution and sex trafficking.
Lara entered the woman’s motel room and stabbed the victim in her neck several times, puncturing her esophagus, before fleeing the scene.
The victim’s sister contacted Anaheim Police Department (APD), who investigated this case, and the victim was transported to UC Irvine Medical Center.
APD arrested Lara on Nov. 18, 2014.
The prosecutor is Deputy District Attorney Daniel Varon of the Human Trafficking Unit.
Proposition 35 and Human Trafficking Awareness Month
Each year, Jan. 11 marks National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and the entire month of January serves as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Month to increase exposure and raise awareness in honor of human trafficking victims.
Members of the OCHTTF and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) work proactively each day to protect women and minors from falling victim to commercial sexual exploitation. OCHTTF is a partnership between APD, California Highway Patrol, Costa Mesa Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Irvine Police Department, Newport Beach Police Department, OCDA, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Santa Ana Police Department, and community and non-profit partners.
To read more about California’s anti-human trafficking Proposition 35 and the OCDA’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, please visit www.orangecountyda.org and select Human Trafficking Information from the Media Center drop down menu.
