Despite being “constantly watched” by Rafael, the caregivers managed to alert their employer via text and email about the abuse.
After learning of the situation, social services visited the elderly woman. She confided that her son mistreated her “almost every day” and that he frequently invaded her personal space in an inappropriate manner.
Sadly, the woman passed away seven months after the investigation began, and her direct testimony could not be used at trial.
However, testimonies from a forensic physician, a social worker, and the caregivers were presented.
Forensic experts concluded that Rafael had full mental capacity and understood the difference between right and wrong, despite his defense team’s claims of an intellectual disability.
