Del Mar TV: Please join me and attorney Meredith Levin as we analyze the Daniel Dorado trial, where a 61-year-old former La Jolla restaurateur and businessman was charged with sexually assaulting eight women, ages 22 to 57, over a nine-year period. The jury found him guilty of 20 felony counts of sexual assaults upon intoxicated or unconscious women. Dorado met some of the women at his Italian restaurant Voce Del Mare in the upscale area of La Jolla, when they responded to employment advertisements he had placed. Others he met through on-line dating services.
During the trial, the prosecutor told the jury Daniel Dorado did not just have a pattern and a plan, but a formula to find vulnerable women and to have a special drink waiting for them, either a glass of wine or a pink drink in a martini glass. This special drink quickly rendered them unusually intoxicated, feeling heaving, drowsy, and ill. Ultimately, they became incapacitated, many losing consciousness for periods of time before awaking without memory. Those women who awoke briefly found themselves being sexually assaulted before falling back into darkness. We look at the specific facts of the case and discuss ways to protect yourself when there is a predator among us.
To learn more about this case, please read my story on my website:
Here is the beginning of my story:
“It was the ultimate act of control. Assaulting a woman who can’t resist,” said Deputy District Attorney Jessica Coto as the trial of Daniel Dorado came to a close in the San Diego courtroom of Judge Charles Rogers on December 17, 2019. The 61-year-old former La Jolla restauranteur was charged with sexually assaulting eight women, ages 22 to 57, over a nine-year-period. Coto told the jury Dorado didn’t just have a pattern and a plan, but a formula to find vulnerable women and to have a special drink waiting for them, either a glass of wine or a pink drink in a martini glass. This special drink quickly rendered them unusually intoxicated, feeling heaving, drowsy, and ill. Ultimately, they became incapacitated, many losing consciousness for periods of time before awaking without memory. Those women who awoke briefly found themselves being sexually assaulted before falling back into darkness. Because it created no memory, there was no accountability which meant he could do it “again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again” declared Coto as she displayed a photograph of each victim with every recitation of “again.”
Dorado met some of the women on “his own turf” at his Italian restaurant Voce Del Mare in the upscale area of La Jolla, when they responded to employment advertisements he had placed. Others he met through on-line dating services. The prosecution asked the jury to find Dorado guilty of 35 felonies, charges including assault with intent to commit rape, rape of an unconscious person, and rape of an intoxicated person.
Dorado’s defense attorney, Kim Santini, proclaimed in her opening statement there was no evidence any of the women were given a date rape drug and pronounced the case the result of an overzealous district attorney and detective. They have “nada, zip, nothing regarding a date rape drug,” Santini stated forcefully. Instead, the case was about alcohol she insisted, explaining the intoxicating effects stemmed from women voluntarily imbibing large quantities of alcohol and from mixing various forms of liquors. All sexual activity was consensual and at least one woman had a financial motive as Dorado was a successful restauranteur, real estate owner, and businessman in car dealership promotions.
The “mysterious pink drink” was a cosmopolitan, a mixture of vodka and cranberry juice, and was Dorado’s favorite drink, which he offered freely to all Santini explained. In fact, Dorado gave every restaurant patron a free drink, either a glass of champagne or wine, as he possessed a generous spirit and wished to build further goodwill. “He is the ultimate host. The life of the party in social situations,” she maintained, before declaring Daniel Dorado not guilty of any of the acts.
About Aleida K. Wahn, Esq.
I am an attorney, award-winning true crime writer, and legal analyst of criminal cases. I cover criminal trials and write stories and books about compelling, gripping, and unforgettable cases that impact our world. I take you into the courtroom in high-profile murder trials, rape cases, crimes of passion, cases involving mental illness, deviant behavior, and more. I have a deep passion for true crime, criminal law, and all aspects of the criminal justice system. I have appeared as an expert on true crime shows, including “48 Hours,” “Snapped,” and “The Dead Files,” and provided legal analysis on high-profile criminal trials on Court TV, the Law & Crime Trial Network, Fox 5 News, ABC 10 News, and KUSI News. I also create and host shows with the Del Mar Television Producers Group, addressing criminal justice and social issues in recent criminal trials.
I provided my insight and legal analysis on Court TV and the Law & Crime Trial Network of the high-profile trial of former NFL star Kellen Winslow Jr. It was a trial that captured the nation as the heralded ex-football star with fame, fortune, and a famous name stood accused of multiple rapes and other sex crimes involving five women. As the trial delved into shocking facts, complicated legal issues, and unexpected twists and turns, I was there for every minute. After the trial, I wrote a book on the case, going behind the headlines to share the extraordinary details of what happened inside the courtroom. Judging Winslow Jr.: From NFL Star to Serial Rapist? Inside the Shocking Rape Trial of Kellen Boswell Winslow II is now available on Amazon.
I am passionate about telling true crime stories, as these penetrating stories have the power to move us all, while highlighting societal issues which need to be addressed. I have personally seen the human devastation which is present in each trial and believe there is a lesson to be learned in every single case. It is through awareness and examining critical issues society can effect change and even make new laws. To learn more, please visit: https://www.aleidalaw.com.
Read about the gripping and unforgettable trials that I have covered in my latest books:
