Courtroom gavel and handcuffs
New details have been revealed after a rape suspect was denied bond Monday for a case out of east Charlotte. Channel 9’s Hunter Sáenz was the only reporter in the courtroom when Julio Gomez-Avila faced a judge for the first time.
In a court appearance on Monday, Judge Cecilia Oseguera stated that Julio Gomez-Avila will remain in the Mecklenburg County jail with no bond as he poses a danger to the public.
On Friday, SWAT officers assisted in removing Gomez-Avila from a home on Glenville Avenue in east Charlotte, where he was reportedly barricaded. The suspect is accused of raping a woman in January at the Brookridge apartment complex off East W.T. Harris Boulevard.
During the court proceedings, prosecutors provided information about the incident. They noted that a 23-year-old woman discovered a man in a ski mask holding a gun inside her back door as she went downstairs to prepare breakfast for her children.
The suspect allegedly ordered the victim upstairs, where he proceeded to rob her before sexually assaulting her. Prosecutors stated that after the assault, Gomez-Avila escorted the victim downstairs to quiet her young child, who was screaming.
It was reported that the victim recognized the suspect’s voice and a mole on his eyelid, believing him to be the boyfriend of a former resident at that apartment who may have had a key to access the property.
Gomez-Avila is now facing multiple felony charges, including first-degree rape.
Chopper 9 Skyzoom captured the scene on Friday as SWAT officers intervened at the residence. The suspect was taken into custody following the operation.
In court, the prosecution showcased video evidence of the suspect captured by a neighbor’s doorbell camera to support their case against Gomez-Avila.
The decision to deny bond to Gomez-Avila underscores the severity of the allegations against him and the potential risk he poses to the community.
The revelations from the first court appearance shed light on the disturbing details of the case, highlighting the importance of swift and decisive legal action in such matters.
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