Police1 Staff Report
(HERMOSA BEACH, Calif.) -- An enraged husband who took the law into his own hands and shot a man whom he believed raped his wife is now facing 15 years to life in prison -- possibly more prison time than the alleged rapist, authorities say.
Police say that Anthony Starita, 32, used a composite sketch made of the rape suspect, Ali Sina Sharareh, to identify him a local bar. When he spotted Sharareh, police said he followed him into a bathroom, pulled a gun had pumped a bullet into him.
“This is for my wife,” Starita reportedly said after shooting the man.
“It probably would have been better to have the police handle the rape investigation,” police spokesman Sgt. Steve Endom told the Associated Press.
The bizarre case could result in the husband of the rape victim ending up doing more prison time than the man who allegedly raped his wife, the police say.
Officer Paul Wolcott said there is a “high probability” that Sharareh, a 22-year-old registered sex offender, raped the woman. However, Sharareh has not been charged with the crime. He is reported in fair condition at a Los Angeles hospital.
According to newspaper reports, Starita could receive 15 years to life in prison and extra prison time for using a handgun. He has been arrested on a charge of investigation of attempted murder.
Sharareh, if eventually charged and convicted, could receive as much as 16 years in prison, authorities state.