A 19-year-old Los Angeles man accused of sexually assaulting a person at a fraternity party earlier this year spoke about the assault as an act of “conquering” before his arrest, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Reef Mordente, 19, of Studio City, was arrested on Aug. 9 on a felony warrant for rape of an intoxicated victim, forced oral copulation, and digital penetration. He was later released on $100,000 bail, according to deputies.
Mordente’s arrest stems from an incident that occurred earlier this year at a wedding-themed fraternity party on the 6500 block of Cordoba Road in Isla Vista, near UC Santa Barbara, authorities said.
Detectives began investigating the crime in April. “As part of the extensive follow-up in this case, investigators uncovered conversations using language that framed the assault in ‘scoring’ or ‘conquering’ terms,” reads a release from the Sheriff’s Office.
The release included information shared by Standing Together to End Sexual Assault, which provides support for survivors of sexual assault and conducts education around cultural factors of sexual violence.
“Our prevention efforts must prioritize the vast majority of men—those who may never engage in criminal behavior themselves, yet whose participation in peer groups and social dynamics can, knowingly or not, enable sexual predators. Through laughter at inappropriate jokes or uncritical acceptance of stories framed as ‘conquests’ or ‘scores,’ men may become passive bystanders or inadvertent facilitators of harm,” Executive Director Elsa Granados said.
Authorities said they believe there are witnesses to the assault who have yet to come forward and encouraged those people to contact Detective Ellis at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be submitted online or by calling 805-681-4171.