A man who allegedly killed one woman and raped another at his Palm City home was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on murder, rape and kidnapping charges.
Rafael Reyes Banda, 45, is charged in the March 2023 death of Jayme Dawn Morton, whose body was found at Banda’s Citrus Avenue home.
Prosecutors allege he also held another woman captive at the home, raped her, and demanded she help him dismember Morton’s body.
At the conclusion of a preliminary hearing that lasted more than a week in Chula Vista, Deputy District Attorney Joshua Brisbane alleged that Banda had “a motivation to hurt Jayme Morton” because he believed she had stolen something from him and owed him either $50 or a jacket.
A medical examiner testified earlier this week that Morton’s cause of death was “homicidal violence with acute fentanyl poisoning.”
The alleged rape victim testified at a separate hearing last fall that she met Banda about a week before the alleged crimes took place and returned to the home March 14 to retrieve some items she’d left there.
When she arrived, she witnessed Banda beating Morton, who was tied up in the home’s garage, she testified.
Banda later beat and raped her, she testified, but she was able to escape the house the following day after Banda passed out from using drugs. Police say she then flagged down a passerby.
Banda’s attorney, Gretchen Von Helms, argued the alleged rape victim killed Morton and pinned the blame on Banda. Von Helms said she had a reason to kill Morton because “Mr. Banda was fond of Jayme,” so she decided “to get her out of the way.”
Von Helms questioned the credibility of the woman’s account, pointing to one incident in which she went to a local supermarket after Banda allegedly began holding her captive. The attorney said she didn’t alert anyone at the market that she was being held against her will and afterwards, returned to the Citrus Avenue home.
Superior Court Judge Maryann D’Addezio, who ordered Banda to answer on all charges, said she found the witness’ account credible.
The judge said that though the woman didn’t seek help at the store and returned to the home, the woman was afraid of Banda and did not trust law enforcement.
“I can understand why she didn’t call for help, but thought that she should go back and comply with his wishes,” the judge said.
D’Addezio also noted that Banda purchased two suitcases on the day of Morton’s death, supposedly to give to his mother as she was going on a trip out of town to visit relatives. The suitcases were discovered by police next to Morton’s body.
“It seems more likely to the court that he knew he had a dead body and he had to get rid of it,” the judge said.