Ricardo Jimenez-Garcia
Charged, not tried. Ricardo Jimenez-Garcia, 39, faces forcible rape, forcible sodomy, robbery and assault charges over the alleged September 21, 2017, knife-point sexual assault of a woman walking to work in Simi Valley, California, by a group of men wearing “Ghostface” masks from the Scream horror films. He was arrested on September 9, 2026, after investigators reopened the cold case, and he has not stood trial. No public statement from Jimenez-Garcia or a defense attorney is recorded in the coverage, and the allegations against him are unadjudicated.
Introduction
Ricardo Jimenez-Garcia, 39, whose occupation is listed in Ventura County jail records as “polisher,” was arrested on September 9, 2026, and charged with multiple felonies in the long-unsolved assault of a woman attacked at knifepoint by several masked men in Simi Valley on September 21, 2017 . The men wore masks resembling the “Ghostface” killer from the Scream movies to conceal their identities . The case went cold after the initial police response, and Jimenez-Garcia was identified nine years later by investigators with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office . The DA’s office has released his booking photo and is publicly asking possible additional victims and witnesses to come forward .
Background Information
The attack happened in the early hours of September 21, 2017, on Galena Avenue in Simi Valley, where a woman walking to work around 4:10 a.m. was confronted by a group of several men wearing Scream masks and armed with a knife . The suspects fled after the assault, and the woman called 911; Simi Valley police responded and investigated, but the case eventually went cold . In 2021 the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office launched its Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, a team funded by a $2.5 million U.S. Department of Justice grant that re-tests previously untested sexual assault kits to investigate unsolved cases, and DA Investigator Yumi Kirk, now assigned to the Jimenez-Garcia case, is part of that unit .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Prosecutors allege Jimenez-Garcia “is alleged to have joined a group of several other men wearing masks from the movie Scream and attacking a woman walking along Galena Avenue” around 4:10 a.m. on September 21, 2017, per the district attorney’s office statement reported by KEYT . CBS Los Angeles, citing the DA’s office, reported that Jimenez-Garcia and the other suspects held the woman at knifepoint while wearing the masks and fled after the alleged assault . The charges reported by the NY Post from the case records:
- Forcible rape while acting in concert — charged
- Sodomy by acting in concert with force — charged
- Second-degree robbery — charged
- Assault with a deadly weapon — charged
- In a separate case, felony unlawful sexual intercourse — also charged
CBS Los Angeles reported the second case as another alleged sexual assault, from 2008, which was also investigated by the Simi Valley Police Department . Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Emily Reber is prosecuting the case, according to the NY Post, which reported jail records listing Jimenez-Garcia’s birthplace as Mexico . The other men allegedly involved have not been publicly identified, and the DA’s office says the incident remains under investigation .
Public Reaction and Consequences
On October 23, 2026, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office released new photos of Jimenez-Garcia and turned to the public for help, asking anyone who witnessed the attack, suffered a similar incident, or recognizes him to contact DA Investigator Yumi Kirk . ABC7 reported authorities shared the new photos “in hopes that someone might come forward with information,” and noted the DA’s office had confirmed charges were filed without disclosing the exact counts . Jimenez-Garcia has made no public statement, and no attorney for him is quoted in the coverage; the woman, whose identity has not been made public, survived the attack and reported it to 911 at the time .
Current Status
Jimenez-Garcia is being held at the Ventura County Main Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on November 18, 2026, according to jail records reported by the NY Post, which noted it was unclear whether bail had been set . The DA’s office describes the incident as an open and active investigation and is asking for further information from the public . The charges are accusations at this stage: Jimenez-Garcia has not been tried, and nothing in the public record indicates how he will plead.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Jimenez-Garcia, a 39-year-old working as a polisher per jail records, has been in custody since his September 9, 2026, arrest, with his booking photo circulated by the DA’s office in its public appeal . The case now carries a second, separate 2008 sexual assault charge, and investigators’ request for “similar incident” victims signals they believe there may be others . The arrest is also a product of the county’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, whose re-testing of old evidence kits is what carried the 2017 case out of the cold-case file and into court .
Sources
- NY Post, “California man arrested in 2017 Simi Valley rape case involving ‘Scream’ Ghostface masks,” October 24, 2026 source
- KEYT (News Channel 3-12), “Ricardo Jimenez-Garcia Charged For 2017 Simi Valley Knife Attack; Prosecutors Ask Public for More Help in Cold Case,” October 23, 2026 source
- ABC7 Los Angeles (KABC), “New photos released and more suspects sought in 2017 Simi Valley ‘Scream’ mask attack,” October 24, 2026 source
- CBS News Los Angeles, “Cold case suspect arrested 9 years after Ventura County sexual assault,” October 23, 2026 source