Modesto man convicted of rape wants new attorney

A 30-year-old Modesto man facing a maximum sentence of life in prison on a rape conviction wants a new attorney who can try to get him a new trial.

Ray Allen Beaty was found guilty of rape by force, robbery and making criminal threats in an attack on a woman at a Salida motel. The jury’s verdict came after a four-day trial that ended Nov. 18 in Stanislaus Superior Court.

Beaty was scheduled to be sentenced Monday morning, but Chief Deputy Public Defender Sonny Sandhu asked the judge to postpone the hearing.

Sandhu, the court-appointed attorney who represented Beaty in the trial, told the judge that Beaty wants to try to hire an attorney to review the case and determine whether to seek a new trial.

Judge Rick Distaso postponed the sentencing and gave Beaty and his family until Jan. 27 to hire a new attorney. If Beaty gets a new attorney, his sentencing will likely continue to be delayed while determining whether to seek a new trial. The defendant remains in custody at the county jail.

The rape occurred March 6, 2015, at a Super 8 motel, authorities said. Beaty had arranged to meet the woman, who was working as a prostitute, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Annette Rees, who prosecuted the case.

The prosecutor has said Beaty savagely beat the woman into unconsciousness, then raped her. Rees says Beaty tried to clean up DNA evidence that might have been left on the victim’s body. The defendant then stole the woman’s cash and cellphone and left the motel room, Rees has said.

Shortly after, the victim flagged down a Modesto police officer to report the assault. Investigators later learned Beaty’s car had been pulled over soon after the incident. Authorities said the victim identified her attacker in a photograph and recognized his car.

When police arrested Beaty, investigators found money in his pockets that matched the cash taken in the robbery, authorities said. Rees has said a medical exam found traces of Beaty’s DNA on the victim. Beaty’s cellphone also showed several calls with the victim before the incident.

Beaty’s sentence could range from 32 years and 8 months in prison to life in prison.

This story was originally published December 19, 2016 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Modesto man convicted of rape wants new attorney."