Wenatchee man sentenced to 32 years to life in prison for rape

WENATCHEE – A Wenatchee man, found guilty of raping a young woman while she was incapacitated, has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.

On Oct. 3, Chelan County Superior Court Judge Robert E. Jourdan sentenced Israel Gonzalez-Munoz, 48, to an exceptional sentence of 384 months to life in prison. The Chelan County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office recommended Gonzalez-Munoz serve 32 years to life.

The defendant is subject to the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board, meaning that at the end of his ordered sentence, Gonzalez-Munoz will have to appear before a review board and be granted permission to leave prison; he could spend up to life in prison.

A jury on Aug. 9 found Gonzalez-Munoz guilty of one count of second-degree rape, one count of second-degree assault, and five counts of first-degree voyeurism for taking photos of the young woman’s intimate areas while she was unconscious.

Last week’s sentencing included an additional 24 months that must be served consecutively with the sentence because the jury found Gonzalez-Munoz acted with sexual motivation on the second-degree assault charge. The standard sentencing range for the charges, including the 24 mandatory months for sexual motivation, is 234 to 304 months.

In October 2020, Gonzalez-Munoz was arrested after the young woman reported to police that she woke up in his Wenatchee apartment missing some of her clothing. She told police she had been intoxicated the night before and accepted a ride from Gonzalez-Munoz, who she met for the first time at a dance they were both at that evening. Gonzalez-Munoz took the woman to his apartment. She remembered little of the evening, and awoke confused as to why her clothing was missing. She later reported the assault to police.

In Superior Court last week, the survivor detailed her ongoing trauma caused by the crime, which has “torn her to pieces,” she said, reading from a statement. 

“I would like to say to anyone (who) has experienced anything similar to what I have detailed in this statement: you’re amazing,” she read. “You are not alone; I see you and well done for standing up for yourself and helping create a safer society.

“Sexual traumas really fall heavily on the shoulders of the survivor or the victim, and being able to clearly identify that this was not something that you caused – it was not your fault, this is the doings of someone else who wanted to hurt you. Being able to clearly say that is so important.”

Since Gonzalez-Munoz’s arrest, this case has gone through countless continuances as well as changes in both defense and prosecuting attorneys, said Micaela Meadows, Chelan County deputy prosecuting attorney.

“The survivor in this case has waited four years for her day in court; it has been a very long road for her,” Meadows said. “But she showed great strength on the stand in telling her story to the jury and then again at sentencing. Her honesty about the realities of what it’s like to be a sexual abuse survivor was devastating and compelling. I am so proud of her.”

The Chelan County Prosecutor’s Office relied on at least 15 agency partners, or some 35 individuals, in prosecuting the case, Meadows added. Several law enforcement agencies from around the region and state helped locate witnesses who were difficult to contact after four years. During that time, the Chelan County Victim Witness program was at the side of not only the survivor but also more than 10 witnesses. The emergency room nurse who treated the young woman four years ago also testified.

“This case was unique in that nearly every agency I regularly work with, and several I don’t, came together to bring justice to this young woman,” Meadows said. “It made all the difference to have the support of these agencies.”