Mom Catches Man Who Was Hired to Renovate Family’s Bathroom Raping Her 11-Year-Old Daughter

A man who was caught raping an 11-year-old girl inside the Virginia home where he was hired to work will spend 30 years in prison.

Ricardo Leonel Mejia, 35, was handed down the sentence after pleading guilty in June to three counts of raping a victim under 13, Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin D. Stolle announced in a press release on Oct. 7.

Ricardo Leonel Mejia

Prosecutors said the 11-year-old victim’s mother spotted Mejia naked in her daughter’s bed on Oct. 9, 2024 and recognized him as the man she had hired to renovate one of the bathrooms in their home.

{snip}

While speaking with Mejia, police said he admitted to “having a relationship” with the girl and knowing she was underage, per the release. He also said that night was the third time he had sexual relations with the girl {snip}

{snip}

The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office said in a post on X that Mejia is a citizen of El Salvador and was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the crime. {snip}