Homeless Man Sentenced to Life in Prison For Raping Santa Monica Woman in 2018

A homeless man who was convicted of raping a Santa Monica woman in her Ocean Park apartment in 2018 was sentenced on Friday to 100 years to life in state prison.

Dylan James Jensen, now 44, was found guilty last Dec. 7 on seven counts, including rape, sexual battery, sodomy, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon.

Santa Monica police arrested Jensen on June 4, 2018 after he entered the victim's apartment in the 2900 block of 4th Street through a sliding glass door of an elevated patio and raped her in her bed just before 6 a.m.

"The suspect retrieved a knife from the kitchen and proceeded to the victim's bedroom while she was sleeping in her bed," Santa Monica Police Lt. Saul Rodriguez said shortly after the attack. "The victim was awoken by the suspect. The suspect forced himself on the victim and sexually assaulted her. The suspect then fled the location."

The woman, in her 60s, immediately called 911 and officers located Jensen near Third Street and Ashland Avenue, Rodriguez said.

The victim identified Jensen as her attacker, the lieutenant said.

At trial, the victim testified that Jensen covered her mouth with his hands and held the knife to her face, according to court reports.

Jensen had previous arrests for possession of a controlled substance in 2013 and 2015 and for resisting and obstructing arrest in 2017, according to arrest records.

Jensen has remained behind bars since his 2018 arrest, according to jail records.