Former UCSB student sentenced to 30 years to life for multiple sexual assaults

Warning: This article contains mentions of rape and sexual assault.

Former UC Santa Barbara student Arian Eteghaei was sentenced to 30 years to life in California state prison on Aug. 10 by Judge Von Deroian of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court for sexual assaults against two victims.

Following a three-month trial, which concluded on Jan. 16, a jury found Eteghaei guilty of two felony counts of sexual assault involving forcible rape, forcible sexual penetration and misdemeanor domestic violence.

After the verdict’s announcement, Eteghaei — who had been shackled by only his hands — escaped custody as bailiffs escorted him between downtown Santa Barbara courthouses before being quickly apprehended.

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office initially filed charges against Eteghaei in August 2021 for crimes against three women which occurred between October 2020 and June 2021, when he was a first-year biology major. These initial charges included two counts of forcible rape, two counts of forcible sexual penetration by a foreign object, two counts of forcible oral copulation, false imprisonment by violence and misdemeanor battery.

During the course of Eteghaei’s trial, multiple women testified against him. Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch thanked these survivors for their participation in the legal battle.

“This case would not have been possible without the extraordinary courage of the victims who came forward and participated in a long and difficult legal process. Their strength and willingness to testify allowed the truth to be heard and ultimately allowed the defendant to be held accountable for the serious harm he caused,” Savrnoch stated in an Aug. 10 press release.