An Orange County grand jury has formally indicted a man accused of raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl.
On Wednesday, Jerry Loreeson Dorisme, 28, was indicted on the following charges in connection with the death of 13-year-old Rose Thalie Dieujuste: first-degree murder, armed kidnapping with intent to inflict bodily harm or terrorize, sexual battery (with a deadly weapon or physical force), and attempted sexual battery (with a deadly weapon or physical force).
Dorisme was arrested on Thursday, July 11.
A week prior to Dorisme’s arrest, at around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 4400 block of S Rio Grande Avenue in reference to a teen girl who was found unresponsive, according to OCSO.
When deputies arrived on scene, they located Dieujuste and observed that she had been stabbed. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
A homicide investigation was launched, and the sheriff’s office began “working tirelessly” to uncover information leading them to the person responsible for Dieujuste’s death.
On July 10, OCSO released photos and video footage of a “person of interest in the July 4 murder of 13-year-old Rose Dieujuste.”
After receiving multiple tips from members of the community in reference to the above video footage, the sheriff’s office was able to identify Dorisme as the person of the interest. He was then located by detectives and arrested on a first-degree murder charge.
“Since the afternoon of July 4, our homicide detectives have been working around the clock to find the person who murdered Rose Dieujuste,” stated the sheriff’s office in a media release on July 11. “We are pleased to tell you that through their hard work – and help from our community – an arrest has been made in this case.”
Dorisme is currently being held without bond at Orange County Jail.
Earlier this month, Dorisme entered a written plea of “not guilty.” His case is set to go to trial on Monday, December 2, with a pre-trial conference scheduled for Wednesday, November 20, according to court records.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.