Ca. Man Sentenced for Murder, Torture of Girlfriend Found with New, 'Degrading' Tattoo on Dead Body

24-year-old Saul Nava of Thousand Oaks was sentenced earlier this month, after he was convicted of the first-degree murder, as well as aggravated mayhem, torture, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, possession or control of child pornography, and three counts of inflicting corporal injury to current/former spouse/cohabitant/fiancé.

The victims were revealed as Alisen Takacs-Escobar, who was found dead on November 24, 2021, and an unnamed previous girlfriend the Ventura County District Attorney's Office says "survived his abuse."

"The sentence imposed reflects the heinous nature of the defendant's horrific conduct," Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell said in a statement. "While nothing will make the victim's family whole again, this sentence will protect the community from an offender who tortured and abused vulnerable victims."

According to the DA, Nava called 911 "after days of beating and torturing" Takacs-Escobar in their Thousand Oaks apartment. When deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene, Takacs-Escobar was dead, with "injuries all over her body."

"She suffered from extensive bruising, the top of her head had a large laceration, and degrading words were newly tattooed on the center of her chest," reads a press release.

"In the apartment, deputies located tattoo equipment, baseball bats, a hammer, and a screwdriver which were used on Ms. Takacs-Escobar," the DA continued.

On Nava's phone, per authorities, they found videos filmed hours before Takacs-Escobar's death, showing "Nava taunting her and displaying no concern for her worsening condition."

During the investigation into Takacs-Escobar's death, authorities identified one of Nava's exes; the pair allegedly dated when they were teenagers, with the DA noting that "their relationship escalated quickly."

"Nava brought her into his home, confined her to a closet, and beat her," said authorities.

Per the DA, the woman tried to "run away" from Nava, who they say "found her and threatened her with a knife until she got into his vehicle."

The abuse of the unnamed ex allegedly continued until Nava began dating Takacs-Escobar during the summer of 2021.

Nava took the stand during his October 2024 trial and claimed, repeatedly, he didn't intend to kill his girlfriend. According to the Ventura County Star, the attack came after Nava saw a "flirtatious" text between Takacs-Escobar and her ex, though the prosecution claimed the former couple was not engaged in a sexual relationship at the time.

Nava testified he got violent because of "pent-up frustration" over what he felt was her interest in other men. He also said that he hit Takacs-Escobar with both a belt and baseball bat the night of her death. When asked, "Did you think you were killing her?" he responded, "No."

Videos shown in court reportedly showed Takacs-Escobar, naked from the waist-up, with blood streaming down her face, as well as six tattoos on her chest. The videos were allegedly taken by Nava in the hours leading up to her death.

In one video Takacs-Escobar was reportedly seen saying, "I'm scared. I'm really scared. I'm terrified," before a male voice asks, "Is what you did worth it?"

He testified she became unresponsive about an hour after the final video, before saying he tried giving her pain medication and CPR before paramedics arrived at the scene.

"No ... I cared about her and her life," he said when asked again whether he intended to kill Takacs-Escobar. "From anger and from betrayal, there were times I hated her, but I still cared about her."

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.