Washington Parish Rape Trial Cut Short by Defendant’s Guilty Plea
October 9, 2025
District Attorney Collin Sims reports the trial of 42-year-old Eliseo Carbajal Perez of Mexico for rape and other sexual assault charges was halted on September 30th after jury selection when Perez informed the court he was guilty of the charges and did not want to continue with the trial. Perez then proceeded to formally plead guilty to second degree rape, aggravated crime against nature, and two counts of molestation of a juvenile. These charges pertain to sexual assaults he committed against two young girls in Franklinton on multiple occasions over a period of years. Assistant District Attorneys Doug Freese and Le’Anne Malnar handled the prosecution with Judge William H. Burris presiding. Detective Demmie Rice, formerly with the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, led the investigation.
Perez began sexually abusing the two young girls when they were approximately 5 and 7 years of age. After enduring years of abuse, one of the girls told her mother she was scared of the defendant and disclosed why. The girl’s mother notified the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and the resulting investigation led to the arrest of the defendant.
Perez’s trial commenced last week. After the selection of a 12-person jury, the trial was ready to proceed when the defendant elected to plead guilty to all four charges. His guilty plea was entered prior to either victim being required to testify. However, both victims were present in the courtroom at the time of the plea. As a result, they were able to see the man who abused them admit his guilty clearly and unequivocally when he was asked by Judge Burris whether he was admitting he raped one victim and sexually assaulted both victims. Perez clearly stated “yes, sir” to the judge after admitting the victims’ assertions were true and that he was pleading guilty because he in fact committed the crimes.
After Perez entered his guilty plea, he received four concurrent 35-year prison terms on the charges. By law, Perez is ineligible for parole on any portion of his prison sentence. Because Perez is in the United States illegally, he will be subject to deportation proceedings upon his release from the Department of Corrections after serving his 35-year prison term.