Full Breakdown
Former UCSB Student Sentenced to Life for Sexual Assaults
8/14/2026, 1:01:18 AM
Sentencing Overview
Superior Court Judge Von Deroian imposed the maximum penalty on 24-year-old Arian Eteghaei, a former University of California, Santa Barbara student. The judge ordered 364 days in county jail followed by 30 years to life in state prison after Eteghaei was convicted of sexual penetration with a foreign object, domestic-violence battery, and forcible rape of two women identified in court as Jane Doe H.O.C. and Jane Doe M.E. The sentencing hearing occurred on a recent Monday, roughly eight months after the January conviction.
Victim Impact Statements
During the hearing, the two survivors submitted emotionally charged letters read aloud by victim-witness advocate Tiffany Carty and by M.E.’s mother, Michele. Doe H.O.C. described feeling unsafe for five years, losing tuition money, and enduring ongoing trauma. Doe M.E. recounted abandoning a full-ride graduate scholarship, incurring debt, and suffering chronic insomnia, depression, and nightmares. Both women expressed fear that Eteghaei might continue to harm others if released.
Defense Perspective
His girlfriend, Heather Lowry, argued that “the person I know doesn’t align with these charges,” claiming the victims had already moved on and that Eteghaei was a The judge rejected this view, noting the evident hardship endured by the victims.
Official Statements & Responses
She rejected the defense’s motion for a new trial and affirmed that the sentencing reflects the severity of the offenses and the need for accountability.
