A man convicted of multiple kidnappings and sexual assaults in Albuquerque between 2017 and 2018 has been sentenced to life in federal prison. Timothy Bachicha, 43, was found guilty of abducting at least four women, holding them captive for extended periods, and subjecting them to repeated strangulation and sexual assault.
"There is no parole in the federal system. As a result, a sentence of lifetime incarceration is served without parole," authorities stated.
Court records show that Bachicha's crimes took place over several incidents: October 2017, April 2018, September 2018, and October 2018. During these attacks, he forced victims to perform sexual acts and strangled them until they lost consciousness. The assaults lasted from four up to twenty hours each time.
At the time of two assaults in late 2018, Bachicha was on state pretrial release and wearing an ankle monitor. Investigators used GPS data from this device to confirm his presence at the crime scenes. Additional evidence included surveillance footage and DNA.
A federal grand jury indicted Bachicha in July 2019 for one incident from October 2018 and added another count in January 2020 for an attack in September that year. The trial occurred in December 2023.
Testimony revealed that on October 30, 2018, Bachicha abducted Jane Doe 1 near the UNM Cancer Center after pulling her into his vehicle by her neck. He held her for twenty hours before releasing her when his GPS monitor’s battery ran low. After news coverage of this crime surfaced, Jane Doe 2 reported a similar attack weeks earlier; she had been held for sixteen hours by Bachicha in a semi-truck near Interstate 25 and Comanche Road.
Both women testified against Bachicha at trial, as did two other women who described attacks dating back to October 2017 and April 2018.
On December 15, after deliberating for two-and-a-half hours, a federal jury convicted Bachicha of two counts of kidnapping with intent to commit sexual assault based on detailed testimony from four victims describing abduction, prolonged assault, physical injury, and trauma. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment on both counts; sentences will run concurrently.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison stated: "Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today."
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office following initial work by the Albuquerque Police Department with support from the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office and New Mexico State Probation and Parole Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Mease prosecuted the case.
