Man pleads guilty in Fountain Valley rape

A Santa Ana man pleaded guilty Friday to raping a Fountain Valley woman and five others and murdering one woman over the past two decades after the Orange County District Attorney reconsidered asking for the death penalty.

James Detory Shipp, 41, will be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in room C-41 in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, according to a release from the Orange County District Attorney.

Shipp was charged with one felony count of kidnapping to commit rape, one felony count of sexual penetration by foreign object by force, one felony count of kidnapping with intent to commit an unlawful sex act, one felony count of forcible rape, one felony count of lewd acts upon a child under 14, one felony count of forcible lewd act on a child under 14 and one felony count of forcible rape. Many of the charges contained sentencing enhancements.

The Fountain Valley woman was in her apartment when Shipp came in through her sliding glass door and ordered her to get on her bed in August 1995. He proceeded to forcibly digitally penetrate her and left his DNA in the apartment.

Shipp raped a Santa Ana woman in December 1997 after he kidnapped her using a firearm while she was walking home with her mother. He drove her to another location to rape her and his DNA was recovered from the woman.

A 13-year-old girl was lured by Shipp into his car by offering the girl a ride and a place to stay in January 2001. He took her to his house in Orange and raped her. Shipp raped another woman in May 2001 and attempted to assault another victim, but he left when she told him she was pregnant.

In between the five victims, Shipp shot Teresa Guevara in the head in January 1998. He was attempting to assault a woman working in Irvine when she called Guevara for help. When Guevara attempted to help her friend, Shipp shot her. He then took the Irvine woman to his car to assault her, but she claimed to have a contagious disease.

Shipp’s DNA could not be linked to the murder until more advanced technology came out in 2003. While in custody for the serial rapes, Shipp was linked to Guevara’s murder.

The District Attorney decided to forgo its original decision to pursue the death penalty after new information from the defense and consultations with the victims, family members and prosecutor, according to the release.