Calling a rideshare after a night of drinking is often seen as a responsible decision, but for at least 12 women in Denver between 2018 and 2022, that choice became a nightmare. They were abducted by John Pastor-Mendoza, who posed as a rideshare driver, preying on women seeking a safe way home.
On October 24, Pastor-Mendoza was convicted on 30 charges, including kidnapping, sexual assault, and attempted sexual assault, for his crimes against 12 women. Pastor-Mendoza would either assault the women in his car or take them to remote locations, where his attacks escalated. The victims’ bravery in coming forward helped secure his conviction. For the first time, six of the survivors are publicly sharing their stories.
Rachel Perry’s Fight for Survival
Rachel Perry was out with friends on a girls’ night in March 2019. When it was time to go home, she called a rideshare. But the driver she thought was coming for her turned out to be Pastor-Mendoza.
“His car pulled up, and I asked if it was for me. He said yes,” Perry recalled. Moments later, she received a notification saying her actual ride had been canceled, but it was too late—she had already gotten into his car. Pastor-Mendoza tried to convince her that they were headed to a party, though Perry had no intention of going anywhere but home.
“I don’t know if I was drugged, but I lost control of my body,” Perry said. Pastor-Mendoza took her to an isolated house, where she realized she needed to escape. “My fight-or-flight kicked in, and I fought him off. I got him back in the car and made him drive me home. I made sure he knew that if we were going down, we were going down together.”
Perry didn’t report the assault right away because she feared getting in trouble herself. “I thought it was my fault, so I convinced myself it wasn’t as bad as it seemed,” she said. It wasn’t until years later that she learned the truth and saw that she wasn’t alone.
“We all survived the same monster,” she said.
Erika Rinnert’s St. Patrick’s Day Ordeal
Eight days after Perry’s encounter with Pastor-Mendoza, Erika Rinnert was celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Denver when she called a rideshare to get home. “I was incredibly intoxicated when I sat down on the curb, waiting for my friend to pick me up,” Rinnert remembered. But before her friend arrived, a man in a car with a Lyft sign pulled up, ushering her in.
“I thought I was getting a ride home,” Rinnert said, but instead, she woke up to find herself on the highway, being driven away from her home. She tried to escape, but Pastor-Mendoza forcibly pulled her back inside the car. He took her to a house with only a mattress inside, where he assaulted her. “I fought with everything I could,” Rinnert said. “I knew if I stayed there, I would die.”
Eventually, Rinnert managed to escape when Pastor-Mendoza was distracted. She crawled to a truck stop and called for help, but it wasn’t until years later that she learned she was one of many victims of Pastor-Mendoza. At the time, Aurora police pressured her not to pursue the case, which left her feeling unsupported.
“It’s devastating to think about how many women suffered because they didn’t take us seriously,” Rinnert said.
Katie Duvall Davis’s Harrowing Experience
In August 2019, Katie Duvall Davis was picked up by Pastor-Mendoza after a night out. Though something felt off about the ride, Davis initially tried to brush it off. “I got into the car, and it wasn’t long before they said they were taking me somewhere else,” she said. “I insisted I just wanted to go home.”
Instead, she was taken to a residential area, where Pastor-Mendoza and another man forced her to kiss them before she began screaming and fighting back. “I kept yelling my address, hoping to get out,” Davis recalled. “I didn’t stop yelling until we were in front of my apartment.”
When she arrived home, Davis realized her phone was missing. She later found out that Pastor-Mendoza had stolen it, along with many others. Though she reported the theft, it wasn’t until years later that she realized her experience was part of a much larger pattern.
Cassie’s Struggle with Shame
Cassie, who did not wish to reveal her last name, was out with friends at a nightclub in November 2019 when she was picked up by Pastor-Mendoza. “I don’t remember getting into the car,” she said. “The next thing I knew, I woke up in Aurora, disoriented and confused.”
Cassie’s memory of that night was hazy, but she eventually found herself at a truck stop, where she called the police. She didn’t report the assault at the time, feeling ashamed. “I didn’t want to talk about it. I blamed myself,” she said. “But when I received a call from detectives, I realized this wasn’t my fault, and I wanted to do something about it.”
Katie McGhee’s Attempt to Escape
In May 2022, Katie McGhee was out with her boyfriend when they had an argument. She called a rideshare to leave, but once in the car, she quickly passed out. When she woke up, she found Pastor-Mendoza trying to assault her.
“I started kicking him in the face with my boots,” McGhee recalled. She ended up in a parking lot with no purse, phone, or shoes. A passerby helped her and called the police, but McGhee never thought they would find the man who attacked her.
“I didn’t remember much of that night, but then I got a call from the police saying they had linked me to a suspect,” McGhee said. She soon learned Pastor-Mendoza had been responsible for the assaults of multiple women.
Juliana Garcia’s Recovery
In July 2022, Juliana Garcia was in Denver with friends when she was picked up by Pastor-Mendoza after feeling ill from drinking. She had a brief conversation with him, but after accepting water from him, she began to feel drowsy. “I don’t usually fall asleep in rideshares, but I did that night,” Garcia said. She later realized she was drugged and had been assaulted.
Garcia sought medical attention and underwent a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam. She didn’t remember much, but the evidence linked her assault to Pastor-Mendoza. “I had to identify him in a lineup, and even though I wasn’t sure, I just had a feeling,” Garcia said. “I chose him, and I was right.”
A Call for Change
The women are now advocating for change within the rideshare industry. They hope for better safety measures, including continuous background checks for drivers, clearer vehicle identification, and a code verification system to ensure riders are getting into the correct car.
Katie McGhee, like many of the women, believes drivers should be employees of the rideshare companies, not independent contractors. “That way, the companies could be held accountable for situations like this,” she said.
The Trial and Healing
The court trial was both empowering and traumatic for the survivors, as they were often subjected to victim-blaming during cross-examination. “The system isn’t built for victims,” said Rinnert. “It was hard to testify, but having a detective who believed in us made all the difference.”
Perry echoed those sentiments, highlighting the impact of victim-shaming. “Speak up. No matter what, speak up. If you’re a victim, we will believe you,” she said.