March 07--Two teenagers have been sentenced to 30 years in prison each for raping and pouring bleach down the throat of an 87-year-old woman during a break-in at a Hemet retirement home, officials said.
Raymond Michael Miranda, 15, and Ruben Melanson, 16, who were sentenced as adults, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including rape, burglary and elder abuse, said John Hall, a spokesman for the Riverside County district attorney's office.
The pair also admitted to a gang enhancement as well as having committed bodily injury to the woman during the April 17, 2014, attack.
Miranda and Melanson will be housed at the California Department of Juvenile Justice until they turn 18, then will be transferred to a state prison to serve the remainder of their sentences. They also must register as sex offenders for life.
Police said the teenagers broke into a gated senior living community, then broke into the sleeping woman's home.
They beat her, sexually assaulted her and used knives and bottles during the attack, according to a Riverside County Superior Court criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said the teens also poured bleach down the woman's throat.
During the sentencing, Miranda apologized for his actions, Hall said.
The woman, who was identified only as Jane Doe, now has to use a wheelchair and an oxygen tank to help her breathe as a result of the attack, Hall said.
At the sentencing, she thanked Miranda for apologizing, but said their actions were evil.
