Coach will die in prison

Arbulu molested children from 1998 to 2004, while he coached soccer and track teams in Burlingame and at Serra High School in San Mateo, according to prosecutors.

Parsons called Arbulu's ongoing abuse "planned, premeditated, evil and repulsive" before handing down the sentence. His choice favored prosecutor Karen Guidotti who asked for consecutive 15 years to life sentences rather than defense attorney Geoff Carr who argued the terms were akin to second-degree murder convictions. Carr pushed for his client to be eligible for parole after 13 years, citing his advanced age and the unlikelihood a parole board would in fact free him.

Arbulu must also pay standard restitution fines, submit his blood to a DNA databank and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Arbulu receives credit for 591 days against his sentence.

The bottom line of Arbulu's actions, according to prosecutor Karen Guidotti, was a wake of guilt for both his victims and the parents who felt they couldn't protect the boys.

"And it's all because he was so manipulative and deceitful," Guidotti said, ticking off Arbulu's use as his position in sports and as the father of two young children as ways to draw in victims.

"It's extremely disturbing the amount of damage this individual has been able to do," Guidotti said.

After deliberating less than a day in early May, a jury convicted Arbulu, of South San Francisco, of all 26 felonies and special allegations he faced against five boys between 1998 and 2001.

Just prior to trial, Arbulu turned down a plea bargain offered by prosecutors and countered with an offer of 15 years to life. Guidotti declined and Arbulu was left to plead his case to a jury.

Arbulu, a former coach at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, did not testify on his own behalf but both his daughter and stepson took the stand. The children comprised two of the three witnesses called by defense attorney Geoff Carr who took less than an afternoon to present his case.

Carr did not ask jurors to acquit Arbulu of every charge. Rather, he admitted his client was in fact guilty of some of the charges while others could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Carr pointed out inconsistencies in the boys' statements and argued investigating officers pegged Arbulu as a molester even before his May 2004 arrest.

On April 27, 2004, one boy, referred to as John Doe Number One, told his mother that the track coach asked him to "do it." Prosecutors charged Arbulu with six counts of lewd acts but subsequent publicity drew six other victims forward and the charges leaped into the dozens.

Two victims' allegations could not be charged in San Mateo County because they reportedly occurred in Nevada. An adult male who knew Arbulu in Arizona more than two decades ago also came forward to say he was abused when the defendant served as his Big Brother. That testimony could not be used in the trial because the defense did not receive it in a timely manner. However, Guidotti pointed it out at sentencing as proof that Arbulu is likely to re-offend if freed.

The mother of John Doe Number One, addressing the court, said she was proud of her son for possibly saving other boys from abuse. She also added that of all his accolades this year, the biggest lessons were learned outside of school. He learned that molestation is wrong, that sometimes a 14-year-old boy has to put on a suit and go to trial and it's OK to tell 12 strangers intimate details of your life, she said.

"Most importantly, what [he] learned was that the criminal justice system worked," she said.

The mother of a boy raped and sodomized by Arbulu at age 10 told Parsons her son was "subjected to unspeakable evil" and lost irreplaceable childhood years. Only after the truth came to light, she said, was it clear why he had four years filled with fits of temper and school difficulties. Even after serious counseling, she said, her now 15-year-old son has difficulty talking about the abuse he kept secret for four long, dark years and may blame his parents for not protecting him.

"The evil has touched everyone in my family," she said.

The father of another victim ended the witness impact testimony by reminding the court of potential victims who did not or could not come forward. He also said he will struggle for the rest of his life not to let Arbulu draw anyone down to his level with thoughts of hate and vengeance.

Arbulu did not speak on his own behalf and only uttered the words "yes, sir" once to the judge.

Arbulu has been in custody in lieu of $1 million since his arrest. He will be immediately transferred to San Quentin State Prison for processing before being assigned to a permanent home at one of the state's prisons.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com