SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 4, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A man convicted in February of the first-degree felony rape of a woman in 2016 after she asked him for a ride to the TRAX station has been sentenced.
Miguel Angel Bernardino, 37, was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison.
On Nov. 23, 2016, the victim-survivor was sitting at a bus stop near 3300 South and 900 West when Bernardino pulled up, and the victim asked him for a ride to a nearby TRAX station.
After the woman got into Bernardino’s vehicle, “instead of driving toward the station, the defendant made a U-turn and drove in the opposite direction. He told (the woman) he would take an alternate route due to traffic, but then turned behind a business near 900 West,” a statement from the Salt Lake County Attorney’s Office says.
“There, he violently, physically, and sexually assaulted her. The defendant then drove a short distance and threw (the woman) out of his vehicle into the snow. (She) then called 911 and was taken to the hospital, where a sexual assault examination was conducted.
“DNA from the exam was sent to the Utah State Crime Lab. A DNA backlog delayed testing, but when testing was conducted, it identified a male profile from vaginal swabs, which was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). On May 6, 2020, the State Crime Lab notified law enforcement that the defendant was a match to the DNA profile.”
Bernardino was convicted on Feb. 25 of this year of one count of rape, a first-degree felony; one county of forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony; and one count o f misdemeanor assault, a class B misdemeanor.
On Thursday, a Third District Court judge sentenced Bernardino to five years to life each for rape and for sodomy, to run consecutively, and six months for one count of assault, to run concurrently with the other charges.
“We appreciate the bravery of the victim-survivor. She, after years of waiting for justice, bravely took the stand to hold her rapist accountable for his despicable actions, attacking and assaulting a woman simply asking for help,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a prepared statement.
“We appreciate the judge giving consecutive sentences, ensuring the defendant is kept behind bars and away from our community for a decade.”
Gill thanked the people and agencies that helped in the case, including the South Salt Lake Police Department.
