Austin Powers actor receives life sentence for rape and torture case

Known to Austin Powers fans as Doctor Evil’s hired Korean assassin, Random Task, Joseph Hyungmin Son has been sentenced to life in prison for the gang rape and torture of a young Orange County woman, committed on Christmas Eve of 1990.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the young woman, who is being referred to as Jane Doe, was walking back to her residence around 12:30 a.m. when she was approached by Son. He asked for directions before forcing her into a vehicle with the aid of accomplice, Santiago Lopez Gaitan.

The two men threatened to kill the woman, tortured her with a loaded gun and repeatedly raped, sodomized and forced her into oral copulation before allowing her to leave, naked and reportedly with her pants tied around her eyes.

Officials obtained a DNA sample from the victim but were unable to identify Son as the perpetrator. Then, in May 2008, he was convicted of an unrelated case of vandalism in which a DNA sample was collected. The DNA matched that found in the 1990 case.

Due to statute of limitations, Son has not been convicted of sexual assault charges but has successfully been convicted of felony torture. Gaitan has pleaded guilty to charges including kidnapping and rape, and has been sentenced to 17 years and four months in state prison.

The victim stated in court, “I feel debilitating fear come over me and am convinced a hand is coming from behind again. My emotional scars are intense. My 20s were stripped from my life as I relearned how to walk, see, hear and cope with the outside world again. Joseph Son not only cost me my job at my salon but also my college savings … not to mention the impact it’s made on celebrating Christmas year after year.”