PHOENIX — A Mesa man accused of being a serial rapist has rejected a plea offer from prosecutors.
James Estep faces 30 felony counts, including 20 counts of sexual assault.
At a recent court hearing, prosecutors said Estep faces a minimum of 105 years in prison and a maximum of nearly 350 years if convicted on all counts.
Prosecutors said they offered Estep up to 32 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to some of the counts.
But he rejected the offer.
Estep, 36, is being held in a Maricopa County jail. His trial, originally scheduled for later this month, has now been pushed to April. Prosecutors say they intend to try the cases involving four alleged victims in one trial and hold a second trial in the case of the fifth alleged victim.
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The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office says the attacks on the multiple alleged victims happened over five years in Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe.
ABC15 has previously reported that Mesa police arrested Estep twice in 2023, but Maricopa County prosecutors declined to move forward with sexual assault charges, which allowed for his release from custody.
A month after he was released, Tempe police arrested Estep in August of 2023 following an hours-long standoff at his Mesa home. Police say he violently sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl after offering her a ride at a light rail station.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has defended her office’s decision that allowed Estep to be released. She said prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence to move forward with charges after Estep’s two previous arrests.
Estep’s next court hearing is set for March 23.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at: anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X and Facebook.
