Corona: Agent raped, stabbed -- while showing a house

There are all manner of weird foreclosure stories out there (mosquitoes, arson, stolen copper, squatters, gangs in vacant houses etc.) but this is the most disturbing story I've heard:  "Authorities say a real estate agent was raped and repeatedly stabbed by a man she was showing a vacant home in Corona."

More, from CBS-2 in Los Angeles: "The woman was savagely injured but managed to fight off her attacker and is expected to survive, Corona police said. Police identified the suspect as Shawn David Yates, 33, of Corona. Yates was arrested Friday night on suspicion of torture, kidnapping, strong-arm robbery, assault with intent to rape and false imprisonment. He was held without bail Saturday at Robert Presley Detention Center, Riverside County sheriff's officials said.

"Officers responded to the daylight attack at 10:46 a.m. Friday in the 700 block of Silvestre Court. They found a woman with multiple stab wounds and she was transported to a local hospital."

Here's a longer video posted on AOL, which reports that the house where the attack took place is a bank-owned foreclosure, and that the suspect was renting a room in the neighborhood -- from homeowners trying to stave off foreclosure.

Hat tip: P, via email.

Comments

[LizWetzel]

Three years ago, I went to a Paramount-for-sale-house with a current tenant in it. 10 minutes after we got in the house and were talking to the tenant an 55 year old widow, a group of gangbangers stop in front of the house and flashed a sign to the renter. We figure that she called her"friends" to scare us because she is getting a good price on her rent.

[hugo chavez]

Hmmm, perp was probably a commenter from this blog. Why would you even post this story?

[CD]

Hugo Chavez
Blood,sex ,rock and roll, is what define " news" in LA. Always has ...
Mozillo and Lawrence Yun in their gated mansion do not really care....People are going to lose it. Next will be civil unrest and more violence....Bad news.

[Michael Snyder]

hugo chavez,
I'm sure if you were in the room with this cowboy you'd never even consider such a remark. What happened to this woman is abhorrent in every way and your attitude is beneath contempt.

This is a sad commentary on the state of our society. I know times are tight, and buyers are hard to come by; but I'd recommend Realtors take time to properly qualify anyone they're going to meet at a residence. Being the size of a NFL linebacker, I don't think any body's going to attack me anytime soon, but to a few sickos a woman alone is a target.

A few simple rules: Always meet new clients at your office or another controlled environment. Besides the obvious safety net, this will provide an opportunity to use the MLS to check for other similar listings in the area. (a great excuse) Car dealers routinely make a photocopy of a person's driver's license before a test drive. Blame it on the bonding company, insurance carrier or the phases of the moon, it doesn't matter. This is a great "sniff test" for both a prospective client's intent and an even better insurance policy for your safety. Last but not least, don't be afraid to "buddy up". Just like in the water, there's no substitute for a friend close at hand.

My heart gos out to the woman who was brutally assaulted along with my prayers for a speedy recovery.

[sfvrealestate]

Hugo Chavez, you took the post right from my fingers! Actually, this type of incident is not new. Mercifully, it is rare.

[John]

Good grief.

I wonder how much more crime we'll see due to deteriorating neighborhoods and vacancies caused by the housing bubble.

I just hope law enforcement doesn't get hit too hard by the shrinking RE tax base, as less funding for law enforcement combined with partially empty subdivisions could be a recipe for disaster.

That real estate agent sure was brave. She fought off her attacker, got help, and the suspect's already in custody. I wish her a speedy and successful recovery.

[mbob]

"Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly. Former journalist.

Same incident is outlined in this novel.

Creepy. And then some.

I'll bet the reason you posted this story is that vacant, unsold, foreclosed houses are festering, toxic time bombs waiting to detonate and destroy otherwise livable neighborhoods.

[brad]

What on earth does this story have to do with the real estate market today in LA

[Sean K]

A freind of mine recently went to look at some houses with an agent. They looked at six houses. They all looked fine from the outside. The first one, upon entering, was completely destroyed by taggers or gangsters. All of the marble tile had a hammer taken to it, the cabinets were smashed and graffitti was everywhere. The second one had been completely gutted. The 'kitchen' didn't have a single fixture. Someone had stolen every conceivable piece of valuable or recyclable material from the inside. The third one seemed fine until they noticed all of the back windows were broke. In short, all six were seriously vandalized. It seems too uncanny to be coincidence. Angry foreclosed homeowners?

[Maggie Knowles]

Thanks for posting this story, as an agent, I'm VERY interested in these stories and would want to know about each and every incident.

[jtbwriter]

Excuse me, Brad, but this horrible story has everything to do with the market. Professional RE agents strive to provide a service and the poor woman probably didn't think twice about meeting some stranger at a bank repo.

No one wants to see these houses stand empty except the cheap banks who don't make it easy on homeowners to keep them or sell them for a fair price.

And this agent may have been fooled into showing the property without proper safeguards or by letting her office or team know what she was doing.

All agents, male or female, need to have security and safety plans in place when they are holding open houses, or meeting new clients. No lead is worth your life, and my prayers are with the agent.

[Mike S]

Unfortunate this happened to the poor gal and the impact it will have on the rest of her life.

I don't assume stories of this type will come to dominate the blog, but jez, it's not like a story on raising veal. It's amazing some folks can spend time complaining about this story yet cannot find time to say a kind word for the gal (or mention her in your prayers tonight).

Stop and consider what constitutes a civil society. It occasionally involves a little civility instead of self-centered grousing.

Mike S.

[peteviles]

Mike S wrote, "It's amazing some folks can spend time complaining about this story yet cannot find time to say a kind word for the gal (or mention her in your prayers tonight)."

Thanks, Mike. I don't think that your comment was directed at me, but it could have been. In posting the item, I didn't find time to say a kind word either.

My thoughts and prayers are with her, and I'm wishing her a full recovery.

Those of you who want to wish her well can use this space to do so. Those who have other thoughts are welcome to express them elsewhere.

[amir]

Unfortunately, by the law of unintended consequences, the decline in real estate and the coming recession might cause a spike in violent crime that could add to the distress.

Think about it. The collapses will result in thousands of unemployed men, who used to work in real estate, or in businesses that lived off the cream created by refinance and rich RE players. What would these men do when their livelihood is destroyed. Many don't have more than a high school degree. Even if only a fraction turns to crime, it's a major crime wave in the city.

Crime, of course, causes RE values to quickly sink. The last RE crash was in 1989. By 1991 a recession hit and prices were 50% off. The riots took place in 1992. Coincidence?

[Phil]

A bail-out of the industry, and assistance to keep people in their houses will be cheap relative to the social cost of delegating resolution of this mess to "market forces" alone. That's what economists, amateur and professional, unfailing miss.

[JK]

I wish this agent a speedy recovery and a life of good fortune. May she be comforted by the love of family and friends.

I don't care how we feel about agents, the RE market, mortgage companies... no one, but no one deserves what happened to this woman. Thank you for posting the story Peter; I am not an agent nor am I in the RE business but I found the story very compelling and worthwhile. May that filthy pig be prosecuted and convicted to face everything he has coming to him in prison!

[hugo chavez]

sorry, it had to be pointed out. unfortunately, this post has taken the schadenfreude of this blog to a new level. how about some follow up posts on her recovery?

[Laker]

amir wrote: "Crime, of course, causes RE values to quickly sink. The last RE crash was in 1989. By 1991 a recession hit and prices were 50% off. The riots took place in 1992. Coincidence?"

Well said. I'm not sure about riots, but if the economy will stagnate and some stupid bailouts will take place that might bring some riot action. I also feel (just feeling) that an earthquake is due to hit...

[Uncle Billy]

Speedy recovery to the Agent.

Laker: I felt an earthquake would hit last night, and it did... about a 3.0 near Pomona, I think. But then again, I feel like an earthquake will hit everyday.

A historical earthquake happened yesterday as well. It is traditionally the date commemorating the beginning of the February Revolution when riots broke out in Petrograd in 1917 (scarcity of food, among other things).

[Pasadena Real Estate]

Being a Realtor, I understand safety is highly important.

Some of my fellow female co-workers make sure to never meet a client at a property without having met them first at the office. Also, make sure to do open houses with someone.

My heart goes out for this agent, and prayers for a good recovery.

[Inland Empire]

What on earth does this story have to do with the real estate market today in LA

Lets put the shoe on the other foot. Suppose you are a woman and looking for a home. You call a listing from craigslist (or anything else). You meet the owner or the agent there. What could happen to you next? Its a warning to be street smart no matter what your circumstances.

[Joseph... the Real Estate Guy]

This is criminal story, not a real estate one!

[LeavinLA]

This has been a problem in Detroit for quite some time. It IS important to the LA RE market.

I wish this Realtor a quick physical and emotional recovery.

[Rob]

Just another Inland Empire Tweaker... Hope he gets life in a 4x8 cell.

[Michael Snyder]

amir,
Who kicked over your rock? Now that you're blinking in the sunshine you're an expert on the behaviors of a narrow segment of society (unemployed male Realtors) and you predict a great many will be robbing and raping as a result of their lack of education and supposed desperation brought on by the real estate slump. Brilliant! I suppose you think a great many of the unemployed female Realtors will turn to prostitution.

Good bad or indifferent, all Realtors put their butts on the line when they make that career choice. There's no weekly cheque, no health plan or 401(k). Nobody tells you when to work, but everybody dictates your hours. It cost a lot to advertise listings, and you can forget seeing your family on the weekends. Without a high degree of self motivation, you won't make it long enough to close your first escrow.

I don't care if you like Realtors or not, but your remarks smack of an Edwardian level of arrogance spiced with the ignorance that can only come from a California education. Many of the Realtors I know have taken second jobs and one left the business and went back to school to complete her nursing degree. All of them take great pride in their reputations and carefully maintain the integrity they displayed to earn it.

The riots in '92 (were you out of jr. high?) were the result of racial tensions inflamed by the media and fueled by street gangs intent on enriching themselves. This event had nothing to do with conditions in the real estate market and I'll bet there wasn't a single Realtor involved in perpetrating the violence.

Now that you've emerged into the sunshine; you might want to take time to actually look at the world that surrounds you. Not that view from the clouds of self awarded superiority but from the ground level where hard working, honest people bust their butts every day just to make ends meet. The don't rob, they don't rape or torture they just do their best to make every place they've been just a little bit better than it was when they got there. You might profit from their example.