O.C. Man Convicted in Myspace Rapes

NEWPORT BEACH, CA—A jury convicted a MySpace rapist Thursday for raping three women, two of whom he met on the social networking site.

Jason Ara Erpinar, 23, of Yorba Linda, took his chances with a jury and lost after in a deal that earned him a 15-year prison sentence last year. He now faces a maximum of 24 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 26.

Erpinar, was convicted of two felony counts of rape by intoxication and a felony count of forcible rape, according to Orange County Deputy District Attorney Mark Birney.

Prosecutors say the case began with a rape at a Newport Beach hotel in March 2008. Erpinar met a 22-year-old woman on MySpace and drank alcohol with her at two parks in Orange County. He then drove the woman to a hotel in Newport Beach and raped her. The next morning the woman awoke with a cracked tooth and scrapes on her face. She reported the incident to police, but a criminal case could not be filed due to a lack of evidence, the district attorney's office said.

In March 2009, Erpinar logged onto MySpace and met an 18-year-old woman he invited to a house party in La Habra. The woman became severely intoxicated at the party and was raped on the floor of a bedroom by Erpinar. She reported the rape to the La Habra Police Department the next day and later addressed Erpinar at his first sentencing.

"It makes me sick to know that you were trying to say this was consensual. Were you deaf to the fact that I said no?," she said. "It was rape and you know it, otherwise you wouldn't have pleaded guilty. You hurt me more then you know physically, mentally and emotionally."

During the investigation, Erpinar's ex-girlfriend told police they dated in high school and said he physically abused her and raped her when she was 17 years old.

-City News Service contributed to this report.