Trigger Warning: Rape
Man Sentenced to 13 ½ Years After Pleading Guilty to Raping Woman During 2024 Vacation in Norfolk
NORFOLK, Va. — Emilio Santana Campos, 25, was sentenced in August to serve 13 and a half years in prison after he pleaded guilty raping, attempting to sodomize, and strangling a woman whom he had met while on vacation last year.
On Aug. 3, 2024, the victim traveled with a group of friends to Hampton Roads for vacation and met up with another group of people which included Mr. Campos. After a day of interacting and drinking, everyone began going to bed at their lodging in Norfolk around midnight on Aug. 4, and the victim went to sleep on the living room couch. At some point that night, the victim awoke to Mr. Campos attempting to put his penis inside of her mouth. When the victim tried to get Mr. Campos to stop, he put his hands around her throat, strangled her, and raped her.
The victim tried to get away from Mr. Campos by rolling onto the floor, but Mr. Campos straddled her and strangled her again, initially preventing her from screaming and waking the others. The victim continued her struggle to get Mr. Campos off of her, and she eventually woke up one of the others — who came out of their room and saw Mr. Campos with his pants down — when she kicked over some furniture and was able to scream. Mr. Campos ran away, and the victim’s friends called Norfolk Police.
The victim was transported to a hospital, where she underwent a sexual assault nurse examination and spoke to Special Crimes detectives. During her examination and interview, the victim had noticeable signs of strangulation including red marks on her face and neck as well as petechiae (burst blood vessels in the whites of the eyes that look like small red spots). DNA collected from under the victim’s fingernails later confirmed Mr. Campos as her assailant.
On Aug. 5, 2025, Mr. Campos entered an agreement to plead guilty to rape, attempted sodomy, and strangulation. Mr. Campos’s plea agreement called for him to serve 13 years and six months in prison, with 21 years and six months suspended on the conditions that he register as a sex offender, complete five years of supervised probation after his release, remain of uniform good behavior for life, and have no contact with the victim. Judge Joseph C. Lindsey accepted Mr. Campos’s plea agreement and sentenced him in accordance with it. Mr. Campos’s sentence was within his Virginia state advisory sentencing guidelines.
“I express my gratitude to the survivor and to her friends for coming forward, cooperating with the investigation and prosecution of this case, and helping us hold Mr. Campos accountable for this violent sexual assault,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “My office and I will continue to concentrate our resources on the prosecution of cases against the people who commit violent acts in our city.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Victoria T. Vaccaro prosecuted Mr. Campos’s case, and Norfolk Police Detective Tristan L. Wampler led the investigation.
If you and/or someone you love are a victim of a crime — including but not limited to sexual abuse — resources are available at the Norfolk Family Justice Center. For more information, please visit norfolkfjc.org, call 757-330-0376, or stop by the NFJC located at 835 Glenrock Road, Suite 100, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. If you are in crisis, call the 24/7 hotline by dialing 757-251-0144. In an emergency, please call 911.
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