The San Luis Obispo Superior Court concluded the opening week of the trial of Nate Abate—the Atascadero barber charged with raping multiple women.
“Jennifer was 22. Elizabeth was 20. Ashley was 20. Tiffany was 14. Lauren was 14 or 15. Carina was 14,” prosecuting attorney Kimberly Dittrich from the District Attorney’s Office told the jury. “All six … of these individuals have one horrific thing in common, and that is the defendant, Nate Abate.”
Abate, 35, is on trial for two counts of forcibly raping Lauren Doe and Ashley Doe in 2009 and 2012, respectively; for raping an intoxicated Lauren Doe in 2009; and for orally copulating with then minor Tiffany Doe in 2008. The court withheld all the alleged survivors’ last names for anonymity.
The Cardinal Barbershop owner and Julian Contreras—the former owner of the now-defunct Kin Coffee—came under fire in April 2022 when a whistleblower accused the pair on Instagram of assaulting her and her friend roughly a decade ago. Since her social media post, allegations streamed in from approximately 40 women who said they were also abused. The pair were in their 20s when they allegedly committed the crimes. Sheriff’s detectives arrested Abate in January 2023 while Contreras fled to Mexico and remains missing.
“He would target with his buddy Julian Contreras, who is not here,” Dittrich told the jury.
She added that Abate—with Contreras—would pick on young women or children, supply them with drugs and alcohol, isolate them, and force them to perform sex acts with him alone or with both of them at once.
Starting Oct. 1, Dittrich, Abate attorney Scott Taylor, and presiding Judge Michael Frye finalized a jury and alternates over three days. During the vetting stage, many potential jurors revealed they were either close to survivors of sexual assault or were survivors themselves—with some adding that it would be difficult for them to judge the trial without bias.
As of Oct. 8, Tiffany Doe, Ashley Doe, Lauren Doe, and former Abate acquaintances Ryan Berta and Kyle Walker had testified in court. Berta and Walker were questioned and cross-examined about the extent of their friendship with Abate and their awareness of minors like Tiffany Doe being present when they’d party with Abate and Contreras in the latter’s home in Santa Margarita.
Abate attorney Taylor called the case one of “recruitment and corroboration” while referring to the whistleblower’s Instagram post.
“The furious social media mob attacked these businesses [Cardinal Barbershop and Kin Coffee],” Taylor said.
His cross-examination of Tiffany Doe found that she provided a victim restitution request form to the DA’s Office for $100 million in compensation from Abate even though she said she doesn’t think he possesses that sum.
“I grew up thinking that I was only worth one thing: my looks, sex appeal,” she said from the witness stand. “I asked for a certain amount of money because I believe there is absolutely no amount of money that can pay for taking someone’s innocence. … I want it all taken from him.”
Abate’s trial is scheduled to take place weekdays at 1:30 p.m. and is expected to conclude on Oct. 18. Δ
This article appears in Oct 10-20, 2024.