, Griffin was working in the Mission District of San Francisco when a man in a white Escalade pulled up around 10 p.m. After negotiating, Griffin got in the car and was taken to a location unknown to her, where the man told her that he refused to pay for any services.
Griffin was later dropped off back in the Mission. Distraught, she ran into a nearby laundromat and called her then-boyfriend, DeShawn Mall, to take her to the hospital. She was pregnant at the time and scared for her baby. At the hospital, two condoms were found in her vaginal cavity and submitted for DNA testing. It was there that Griffin called 911 and reported her rape.
District Attorney George Gascón motioned for the case to be brought to trial. “This case underscores the importance of San Francisco’s safety for sex worker policies,” he said, according to court transcripts. “If we fail to prioritize this population’s health and safety they will not come forward and work with law enforcement as witnesses and victims of violence. Ultimately, unreported crimes and criminals pose a threat to everyone’s public safety.
Assistant District Attorney Lili Nguyen served as prosecutor representing the state of California. She has been prosecuting sexual assault, child abuse, and child sexual abuse cases for five years, and she knows that standing trial often asks survivors to recall their worst memories.