Isn’t there a statute of limitations on these types of crimes?
Prior to January 1, 2017, the California statute of limiotations for sex crimes was ten (10) years. There is no statute of limitations for any offense committed on or after January 1, 2017 which offense "is punishable by death or by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for life without the possibility of parole, or for the embezzlement of public money."
How such an offense committed twenty (20) years ago escapes the prior ten (10) year statute of limitations—dunno. Maybe because the DA is George Gascon? Maybe there is a hidden exception somewhere.
https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2022/code-pen/part-2/title-3/chapter-2/section-799/
Universal Citation: CA Penal Code § 799 (2022)799. (a) Prosecution for an offense punishable by death or by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for life without the possibility of parole, or for the embezzlement of public money, may be commenced at any time.
(b) (1) Prosecution for a felony offense described in paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), (6), or (7) of subdivision (a) of Section 261, paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) of subdivision (a) of former Section 262, Section 264.1, paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (c) of, or subdivision (d), (f), (g), (i), or (k) of, Section 286, paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (c) of, or subdivision (d), (f), (g), (i), or (k) of, Section 287 or former Section 288a, subdivision (a) of Section 288 involving substantial sexual conduct as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1203.066, subdivision (b) of Section 288, Section 288.5, or subdivision (a), (b), (d), (e), or (g) of Section 289 may be commenced at any time.
(2) This subdivision applies to crimes that were committed on or after January 1, 2017, and to crimes for which the statute of limitations that was in effect prior to January 1, 2017, has not run as of January 1, 2017.
(c) This section applies when the defendant was a minor at the time of the commission of the offense and the prosecuting attorney could have petitioned the court for a fitness hearing pursuant to Section 707 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 626, Sec. 38. (AB 1171) Effective January 1, 2022.)
If it happened as a minor, the victim has until they are forty years old to lay a complaint. That’s probably what happened. The women were under 18 at the time of the assault.