Father sentenced to 109 years to life for raping, impregnating daughter

In a case with echos of the Josef Fritzl saga, a California man was sentenced to the equivalent of life without parole for sexually assaulting his daughter between the ages of 6 and 25. The victim said her father, a martial arts instructor, was able to control her using beatings and surveillance cameras. Lindolfo Thibes, now 48, was sentenced Friday for what prosecutors called the worst case of child abuse ever encountered by them.

According to the lead detective, Torrance Police Detective Rick Carr, "He's probably the sickest suspect I ever had. This poor woman endured just some unbelievable torture and horrendous acts."

Acting as his own attorney, Thibes, 48, said his case should have been dismissed long ago on procedural grounds. He said he has been hallucinating and "believes that shadows are out to get him." He called his trial a "kangaroo court" and said his conviction was the result of fraudulent evidence and perjured testimony.

But on Friday, Superior Court Judge Dennis J. Landin rejected Thibes' claim of mental illness, saying he believed it was a fabrication designed to delay sentencing.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Rouman Ebrahim reminded the judge of the woman's testimony during the trial, saying Thibes had been charged with only a fraction of the assaults she recounted and deserved the maximum sentence.

"The conduct in this case is so shockingly heinous," Ebrahim said. "It was done by someone that society expects to be a protector, not a predator."

The woman lives in the Antelope Valley with her girls and said she is allowed to remain in the U.S. thanks to a special visa for crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement. She said she dreams of writing a book or perhaps becoming a therapist to help similar victims.

She is struggling to find a job but said she is determined to provide for her children. "I want them to be loved," she said. "I'm living the childhood I didn't have through them. . . . I want to make sure they go to proms and have all the stuff I didn't have."