Idaho Falls man accused of raping 13-year-old girl, threatening her to stay silent
Published at
IDAHO FALLS — A confession to a friend by a 13-year-old girl in 2021 has now resulted in the arrest of an Idaho Falls man, who allegedly raped her and threatened her to keep quiet.
Rafael Villa, 31, was originally charged in July with felony lewd conduct with a child, but on Sept. 15, an amended complaint was filed, which brought more charges.
Along with the lewd conduct charge, he is also facing two felony counts of rape, felony sexual abuse of a child and felony intimidating a witness.
Villa has been appointed a public defender. The Idaho State Public Defender’s Office does not comment on active cases.
If he is found guilty, he faces up to life in prison.
On Jan. 6, 2022, court documents say a school resource officer contacted an officer with the Idaho Falls Police Department after the victim’s friend reported what the victim had told her.
The statement provided by the friend said that the victim lived with her mother and another man, identified as Villa, and that during the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks of 2021, Villa had groped the victim under the guise of “wrestling” for a phone.
The friend, according to court records, said that this had left bruises on the victim.
In another instance, the victim and Villa allegedly had sex.
During a forensic interview, the victim did not disclose whether any sexual contact had occurred. A download of the victim’s phone revealed searches that raised the officer’s concerns. Court records says these searches included items like “sings your pregnant” and other similar searches.
The officer reported meeting with the mother and the victim on Jan. 12 and expressed concern that the victim may be pregnant.
During this interaction, the victim allegedly said that she believed she was pregnant and that Villa may be the father.
In another interview, police reports say that the victim said Villa had sexually assaulted her on Nov. 21, 2021.
Days after this assault, the victim said that Villa told her to keep quiet and threatened her with physical violence if she said anything.
Around Dec. 3, 2021, the victim said that Villa had raped her again at the home and told her to fake her menstrual cycle so no one would know what happened.
On Jan. 7, the officer interviewed Villa over the phone. He reportedly signed a Miranda Rights waiver before speaking with the officer.
Villa allegedly told the officer that, while running some errands, the victim told him that she was pregnant and that she did not know who the father was.
The officer told Villa that he believed he was the father, but Villa denied having sex with the victim.
The officer learned on Jan. 26, 2022 that the victim was not pregnant, according to court records.
Officers obtained an arrest warrant for Villa on Nov. 15, 2022 and served it on July 20, 2026.
Villa’s initial court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 30 before Magistrate Judge Wiley Dennert or Senior Judge James Howard Barrett Jr.
Although Villa has been accused of a crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.