Transgender Woman Assaulted on UW-Madison Campus; Two Men Charged

In the early morning of August 29, a transgender woman who was not affiliated with the university was approached on State Street in downtown Madison and invited to accompany two men—Yorfred H. Marcano Gutierrez, 31, and Arturo R. Santos Albujas, 27—to a boat at Goodspeed Family Pier on Lake Mendota. After arriving at the pier and discovering no boat, she attempted to leave. According to the UW-Madison Police Department, Albujas grabbed her by the neck, pulled out her hair extensions, and threw them into the lake; the pair then stripped her clothing, struck her repeatedly, and Gutierrez began strangling her. The victim told police that the men threatened to kill her and discard her in the lake.

The Advocate

Surveillance footage captured the assault from 3:57 a.m. to 4:13 a.m., corroborating an eyewitness account of the men’s aggressive behavior on State Street earlier that night. A second bystander called police at 4:10 a.m., reporting a disturbance near Alumni Park and observing Albujas striking the woman multiple times. The UW-Madison Police Department’s complaint report, cited at a hearing on September 1, recorded the victim’s statement that the men had attempted to rape and kill her.

The Advocate

On September 1, both suspects were charged with attempted second-degree sexual assault/use of force, strangulation and suffocation as parties to a crime, false imprisonment as parties to a crime, and battery. They are being held at the Dane County Jail; Albujas’s bail is set at $100,000 and Gutierrez’s at $75,000.

The Advocate

University police officials confirmed the investigation and indicated that they have been contacted by the victim, who also reached out to UW-Madison administration. The university has pledged to monitor the case and provide updates as it develops.

The Advocate

The preliminary hearings for both defendants are scheduled for September 8.

The Advocate