{"id":2840,"date":"2026-09-01T20:39:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T20:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840"},"modified":"2026-09-01T20:39:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T20:39:42","slug":"illegal-immigrant-accused-of-raping-elderly-florida-woman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840","title":{"rendered":"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

An illegal immigrant allegedly broke into a 77-year-old woman\u2019s Florida home, raped her, and choked her as she tried to escape, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Read more Birth Tourism Mastermind Pleads The Fifth, Dismissed From Congressional Hearing<\/a><\/p>\n

The victim awoke around 4 a.m. Saturday after hearing a noise inside her Mulberry home, according to the Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office. Axel Antonio Espinal Herrera, 24, of Honduras, allegedly entered her bedroom, forcibly removed her clothes, sexually assaulted her, and then slapped her as she tried to run away.<\/p>\n

The naked elderly woman tried to escape through the front door when her attacker went into the bathroom, but he allegedly chased her, dragged her back inside, and choked her. He then fled, and the victim called authorities.<\/p>\n

Detectives canvassing the neighborhood eventually found Herrera at a nearby home taking a shower and identified him based on the victim\u2019s description, according to the sheriff\u2019s office. The victim also identified him through a photo lineup.<\/p>\n

Authorities arrested Herrera and booked him into the local jail on charges of kidnapping, sexual battery by force, burglary with battery, tampering with evidence, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and loitering\/prowling.<\/p>\n

\u201cSexual battery of an individual is without a doubt one of the most horrific crimes that occurs. And a violent, out-of-control sexual battery on a stranger even elevates that one more level,\u201d Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video statement.<\/p>\n

Read more Judge Who Tossed Confession For 9\/11 Mastermind Outed As Left-Wing Ideologue<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then you take on top of that that the suspect is in this country illegally that pushes it over the top,\u201d Judd said.<\/p>\n

Herrera initially spoke with detectives, but refused to answer additional questions, according to the sheriff\u2019s office. Detectives found multiple scratches on the suspect\u2019s body which were consistent with the victim\u2019s account of fighting back.<\/p>\n

The Honduran national was also found to be in possession of cocaine, the sheriff\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

The sheriff\u2019s office contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which lodged a detainer asking for Herrera to be transferred to federal custody if he is released from the local jail.<\/p>\n

Authorities also arrested two other Honduran men who lived with Herrera after they were found to be living in the United States illegally. ICE lodged detainers for the two housemates.<\/p>\n

Read more Iran\u2019s Execution Spree: 10 Young Activists Condemned To Death In Sham Isfahan Trial<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An illegal immigrant allegedly broke into a 77-year-old woman\u2019s Florida home, raped her, and choked her as she tried to escape, authorities said.The victim awoke around 4 a.m. Saturday after hearing a noise inside her Mulberry home, according to the Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office. Axel Antonio Espinal Herrera, 24, of Honduras, allegedly entered her bedroom, forcibly removed her clothes, sexually assaulted her, and then slapped her as she tried to run away.The naked elderly woman tried to escape through the front door when her attacker went into the bathroom, but he allegedly chased her, dragged her back inside, and choked her. He then fled, and the victim called authorities.Detectives canvassing the neighborhood eventually found Herrera at a nearby home taking a shower and identified him based on the victim\u2019s description, according to the sheriff\u2019s office. The victim also identified him through a photo lineup.Authorities arrested Herrera and booked him into the local jail on charges of kidnapping, sexual battery by force, burglary with battery, tampering with evidence, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and loitering\/prowling.\u201cSexual battery of an individual is without a doubt one of the most horrific crimes that occurs. And a violent, out-of-control sexual battery on a stranger even elevates that one more level,\u201d Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video statement.\u201cAnd then you take on top of that that the suspect is in this country illegally that pushes it over the top,\u201d Judd said.Herrera initially spoke with detectives, but refused to answer additional questions, according to the sheriff\u2019s office. Detectives found multiple scratches on the suspect\u2019s body which were consistent with the victim\u2019s account of fighting back.The Honduran national was also found to be in possession of cocaine, the sheriff\u2019s office said.The sheriff\u2019s office contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which lodged a detainer asking for Herrera to be transferred to federal custody if he is released from the local jail.Authorities also arrested two other Honduran men who lived with Herrera after they were found to be living in the United States illegally. ICE lodged detainers for the two housemates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-2"],"yoast_head":"\nIllegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman - Blue Route Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman - Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An illegal immigrant allegedly broke into a 77-year-old woman\u2019s Florida home, raped her, and choked her as she tried to escape, authorities said.The victim awoke around 4 a.m. Saturday after hearing a noise inside her Mulberry home, according to the Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office. Axel Antonio Espinal Herrera, 24, of Honduras, allegedly entered her bedroom, forcibly removed her clothes, sexually assaulted her, and then slapped her as she tried to run away.The naked elderly woman tried to escape through the front door when her attacker went into the bathroom, but he allegedly chased her, dragged her back inside, and choked her. He then fled, and the victim called authorities.Detectives canvassing the neighborhood eventually found Herrera at a nearby home taking a shower and identified him based on the victim\u2019s description, according to the sheriff\u2019s office. The victim also identified him through a photo lineup.Authorities arrested Herrera and booked him into the local jail on charges of kidnapping, sexual battery by force, burglary with battery, tampering with evidence, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and loitering\/prowling.\u201cSexual battery of an individual is without a doubt one of the most horrific crimes that occurs. And a violent, out-of-control sexual battery on a stranger even elevates that one more level,\u201d Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video statement.\u201cAnd then you take on top of that that the suspect is in this country illegally that pushes it over the top,\u201d Judd said.Herrera initially spoke with detectives, but refused to answer additional questions, according to the sheriff\u2019s office. Detectives found multiple scratches on the suspect\u2019s body which were consistent with the victim\u2019s account of fighting back.The Honduran national was also found to be in possession of cocaine, the sheriff\u2019s office said.The sheriff\u2019s office contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which lodged a detainer asking for Herrera to be transferred to federal custody if he is released from the local jail.Authorities also arrested two other Honduran men who lived with Herrera after they were found to be living in the United States illegally. ICE lodged detainers for the two housemates.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-01T20:39:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c\"},\"headline\":\"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-01T20:39:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840\"},\"wordCount\":412,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/ca97b14331a732ec3284ebc2a5627d44.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840\",\"name\":\"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman - Blue Route Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/ca97b14331a732ec3284ebc2a5627d44.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-01T20:39:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/ca97b14331a732ec3284ebc2a5627d44.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/ca97b14331a732ec3284ebc2a5627d44.avif\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=2840#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blue Route Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman - Blue Route Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman - Blue Route Journal","og_description":"An illegal immigrant allegedly broke into a 77-year-old woman\u2019s Florida home, raped her, and choked her as she tried to escape, authorities said.The victim awoke around 4 a.m. Saturday after hearing a noise inside her Mulberry home, according to the Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office. Axel Antonio Espinal Herrera, 24, of Honduras, allegedly entered her bedroom, forcibly removed her clothes, sexually assaulted her, and then slapped her as she tried to run away.The naked elderly woman tried to escape through the front door when her attacker went into the bathroom, but he allegedly chased her, dragged her back inside, and choked her. He then fled, and the victim called authorities.Detectives canvassing the neighborhood eventually found Herrera at a nearby home taking a shower and identified him based on the victim\u2019s description, according to the sheriff\u2019s office. The victim also identified him through a photo lineup.Authorities arrested Herrera and booked him into the local jail on charges of kidnapping, sexual battery by force, burglary with battery, tampering with evidence, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and loitering\/prowling.\u201cSexual battery of an individual is without a doubt one of the most horrific crimes that occurs. And a violent, out-of-control sexual battery on a stranger even elevates that one more level,\u201d Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a video statement.\u201cAnd then you take on top of that that the suspect is in this country illegally that pushes it over the top,\u201d Judd said.Herrera initially spoke with detectives, but refused to answer additional questions, according to the sheriff\u2019s office. Detectives found multiple scratches on the suspect\u2019s body which were consistent with the victim\u2019s account of fighting back.The Honduran national was also found to be in possession of cocaine, the sheriff\u2019s office said.The sheriff\u2019s office contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which lodged a detainer asking for Herrera to be transferred to federal custody if he is released from the local jail.Authorities also arrested two other Honduran men who lived with Herrera after they were found to be living in the United States illegally. ICE lodged detainers for the two housemates.","og_url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840","og_site_name":"Blue Route Journal","article_published_time":"2026-09-01T20:39:42+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c"},"headline":"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman","datePublished":"2026-09-01T20:39:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840"},"wordCount":412,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ca97b14331a732ec3284ebc2a5627d44.avif","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840","url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840","name":"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman - Blue Route Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ca97b14331a732ec3284ebc2a5627d44.avif","datePublished":"2026-09-01T20:39:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ca97b14331a732ec3284ebc2a5627d44.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ca97b14331a732ec3284ebc2a5627d44.avif","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=2840#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Elderly Florida Woman"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/","name":"Blue Route Journal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/blueroutejournal.com"],"url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}