Arkansas man guilty in rape, robbery of his former teacher; he tells jury he feels like 'monster,' 'scum of earth'

Vasquez Hayes (Photo via Texarkana Gazette)
Vasquez Hayes (Photo via Texarkana Gazette)

An Arkansas man has been found guilty in the 2015 rape and robbery of his former teacher who witnesses said he had developed a years-long obsession with, the Texarkana Gazette reported Friday.

A Miller County jury deliberated for less than 40 minutes Thursday before finding Vasquez Hayes guilty of charges including rape, theft and aggravated robbery. He was then sentenced to 80 years in prison.

A probable cause affidavit said Hayes, whose last listed address was in Texarkana, forced his way into a 33-year-old woman's Arkansas home around 1 a.m. Nov. 22, 2015, held her at gunpoint and raped her. Court documents say the victim told investigators the man, wearing a hoodie and sunglasses, drove her car to an ATM and forced her to withdraw $500 before leaving her at an intersection.

Witnesses at the trial said Hayes became obsessed with the victim, who taught him history and English at a church K-12 school years earlier, the newspaper reported.

After being found guilty but before being sentenced, Hayes asked the jury for mercy and said he felt like a "monster" and the "scum of the Earth," the Gazette reported.

The victim addressed the court, too, saying the attack changed her forever.

"I will never be the same person I was before Vasquez Hayes violated and terrorized me," she said. "He forced me to look evil right in the face, and I came away scarred and broken. All it took was a few hours with him to sever my life into two distinct halves: before and after."

Hayes must serve 56 years before he will be eligible for parole.

Click here to read the full story in the Texarkana Gazette.

ADVERTISEMENT

More headlines

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Upcoming Events