Woman flees to coffee shop to beg for help after being raped, dragged and drowned

A Colorado woman was strangled, dragged by her hair, submerged underwater and sexually assaulted multiple times by her cousin’s boyfriend and now an Adams County jury found the man guilty on all charges, officials said.

According to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the victim was lying in bed at her home on Jan. 26, 2020, when her cousin's boyfriend, 33-year-old Fermin Gonzalez-Flores, came into her room.

The two had a brief conversation before he proceeded to strangle the victim until she lost consciousness, authorities said.

The victim woke up and used a knife and pepper spray on Gonzalez-Flores, but he pulled her to the floor and strangled her again, officials said.

He then dragged her by her hair to the laundry room and then to the landing area near the front door of the house, authorities said.

At this point, the victim opened the front door and scream for help, but that made Gonzalez-Flores angry, according to officials.

He strangled her once again and then dragged her upstairs to the bathroom, where he continued to strangle her until she lost consciousness, authorities said.

When she woke up, the victim noticed he was filling the bathtub with water. He then proceeded to grab the victim and submerge her head in the water, officials said.

The victim tried to play dead on several occasions, but he kept her head under the water, authorities said.

He finally dragged the victim from the bathtub into the bedroom, where he raped her multiple times before falling asleep, officials said.

The victim escaped the house and went to a coffee shop, where she called police. Officers went to the victim’s house and arrested Gonzalez-Flores, authorities said.

The jury found Gonzalez-Flores guilty of 12 counts, including second-degree attempted murder, kidnapping, assault-strangulation and three counts of sexual assault.

In the press release, District Attorney Brian Mason said, “The brutality of this crime is truly unspeakable. The defendant repeatedly tortured, brutalized, and sexually assaulted this victim. I’m grateful to the jury for returning a just verdict.”

Gonzalez-Flores is set to return to court on Oct. 15 for sentencing, officials said.