Salinas man convicted of first-degree murder now guilty of rape

A Salinas man was convicted of two counts of rape and other charges on a minor and faces up to 87 years in prison, according to the office of District Attorney Dean D. Flippo.

On Oct. 26, 2015, a 15-year-old girl fell ill at school. After seeing the school nurse, she tried calling her family members to give her a ride home, officials said.

Her non-related “uncle,” Vincent Tyrone Fowler, 45, went to pick her up at school at the grandmother’s request.

Officials said instead of taking the 15-year-old home, Fowler took her to his home, where she fell asleep on a couch in the living room. She woke up several hours later and found her clothing was displaced.

Fowler’s wife left the home to give a ride to an acquaintance, which is when officials said Fowler raped the girl.

Officials said Fowler told the 15-year-old he would kill her if she screamed or told anyone.

Fowler had previously been convicted of first-degree murder in 1992 in Monterey County but was paroled in October 2014.

A sexual assault exam was made by a forensic nurse examiner and it was determined that matched DNA was consistent with Fowler’s.

Fowler will be sentenced on April 6. He faces up to 87 years in prison because of his prior strike for first-degree murder.