PORTLAND AREA MAN SENT TO PRISON FOR FIFTY YEARS FOR RAPING AND SEXUALLY ABUSING A CHILD OVER SEVERAL YEARS. - 06/30/26

Case: 25CR14556                                                          

Portland, OR- Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Sinlapasai sentenced Elder Gutierrez-Zuniga to 50 years in prison on June 29, 2026.

The defendant was convicted on the following charges:

Twelve counts Rape in the First Degree.

Seven counts Sodomy in the First Degree.

One count Attempted Rape in the First Degree.

Two counts Sex Abuse in the First Degree.

Two counts Criminal Mistreatment.

One count Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct.

Three of the rape charges and six of the sodomy charges involved crimes that qualified for Jessica’s Law sentencing standards. Jessica’s Law passed in Oregon in 2006 and mandates a strict 25-year minimum prison sentence for adults convicted of first degree sex offenses such as rape or sodomy against a child under the age of 12.

Deputy District Attorney Mihnea Moga prosecuted the case for the state. After the sentencing he said: “The defendant took advantage of his position as a father figure to this child and preyed upon her vulnerability and susceptibility. I am hopeful that the sentence in this case will give her some closure and that it will provide her some comfort knowing that he has been held accountable for his heinous actions.” 

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Portland Police Detectives Nathan Moore and Angela Hollan for their excellent work on this case. 

We would also like to highlight the work of MCDA Victim Advocate Alie Aguilera for the care and compassion they showed the victim in this case.

THE FACTS:

In 2025 a young teen confided in a trusted adult and shared that she had been sexually abused since around the age of six and continued until her early teens. The victim provided detailed descriptions for the type and the extent of the physical and sexual abuse that she was being subjected to by the defendant. She was able to provide some text messages to law enforcement that showed the defendant's sexual interest in her, including the code words he would use and the sexual requests he would be making of her. A subsequent investigation led police to the defendant. 

                                                              ###MCDA###