A man accused of entering a woman’s home and sexually abusing her claimed in court he was set up by her boyfriend.
Adrian Ayala, 20, faces five charges related to kidnapping, sexual abuse, burglary and aggravated assault, court records showed.
Buckeye police officers were dispatched to a home on Oct. 16 in response to a call that stated someone had broken into her neighbor’s home and assaulted her.
The woman told officers she saw a “random man,” later identified as Ayala, standing outside her front door and peeking his head inside her home, court records said. The woman’s 2-month-old son was sleeping in a bedroom, and her 17-month-old daughter was standing behind her, she said in court records. Her fiancé had left just minutes before to get groceries,
she told investigators.
Ayala asked the woman to use her bathroom, and when she attempted to close the door on him, he kicked the door back open, the records said.
The man entered her home and “began to choke her by grabbing her by the neck,” she told investigators.
She said she had slight difficulty breathing, and Ayala pushed her to the ground and continued to strangle her, documents said.
She described her attempts to fight him by kicking him in the groin, stomach and thighs. She stated Ayala “kicked the child in the side,” resulting in her falling into the corner of the baby gate, court documents said. Ayala’s attorney later refuted that claim in court.
The struggle continued into the bathroom, and Ayala shut himself inside with the woman, records said.
He “began trying to undo the button on the victim’s pants but was unable to” and then touched her breasts, the documents said.
Meanwhile, her daughter was crying outside the bathroom, so the woman told Ayala she would do what he wanted but needed to take care of the girl first. She put her daughter in a playpen and then ran to the front door while she screamed for help as loud as she could, the records said.
She tried to pull Ayala outside the home, and the struggle was caught on home surveillance video, she said.
While they were fighting, surveillance video captured Ayala telling the woman, “Your boyfriend told me you’d be into this.”
He said he didn’t know his name but described him, the court records said. Officers noted the woman’s fiancé fit that description and seized his cellphone for investigation because Ayala implicated him and claimed he met the fiancé through Reddit, according to court records.
The fiancé arrived home while the fight continued, and he chased Ayala to his vehicle, which was parked down the street, the court records said.
The woman later posted the home surveillance video to social media. That video helped identify Ayala. Someone sent the video to Ayala's father, who later called Goodyear police to report his son.
He told officers his son was paid by a YouTuber to “reenact” the “attack.”
Ayala was arrested and made his first court appearance Oct. 18.
His attorney told the judge Ayala was brought home by the victim’s boyfriend for a role-play scenario and did not have the intent to commit a felony. He also told the judge Ayala was under the impression he had the woman’s consent.
Ayala’s bond was set at $25,000 and he was due back in court Oct. 23.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office inmate records showed he was no longer in custody.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man accused of attacking Buckeye mom says he was set up
