Whitewater assault: Pedro Mayorquin Landero Jr. found guilty on 2 charges
WHITEWATER, Wis. - A Jefferson County jury on Monday, July 22 found Pedro Mayorquin Landero Jr. guilty of two charges in connection with an assault that happened on the UW-Whitewater campus in May 2021.
Mayorquin Landero Jr. was found guilty of attempted robbery with use of force and battery. The jury found him not guilty of second-degree sexual assault.
Sentencing for Mayorquin Landero Jr. is set for Aug. 2.
Case details
Prosecutors said Melissa Jasurda made an emergency call from a Blue Light on the college campus, indicating "she had just been attacked by a male subject who had fled the area." She told police "she was on the walking path north of the cemetery playing Pokemon Go when she was passed by a male subject on a bicycle," according to a criminal complaint, adding she said "hi" to the man and he said the same. Moments later, the victim told police she "heard what sounded like a bicycle hitting the ground;" the man running towards her and assaulting her.
"And then I said to him something to the effect of, 'Please don't hurt me. It's my daughter's birthday,'" said Jasurda.
Jasurda said it wasn't actually her daughter's birthday, but this was a fight-or-flight situation.
Mayorquin Landero Jr. admitted he "had a moment" when Jasurda mentioned the birthday, so he "stopped and walked away," the complaint said, telling police he was going to rob whoever walked over the hill.
Melissa Jasurda
According to the complaint, Jasurda was "kicking and screaming while attempting to fight off the male subject." Prosecutors said Mayorquin Landero Jr. indicated all he wanted to do was rob the woman, but she did not have any money. Mayorquin Landero Jr. "also threatened to punch her in the face but never did" before fleeing, according to the complaint.
Officials were able to locate surveillance recordings and after releasing the images to the media, UW-Whitewater police received several tips identifying the man on the bike as Mayorquin Landero Jr.
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When questioned by police, Mayorquin Landero Jr. "admitted that he was walking his bike up a hill when he saw a girl and, in a few seconds, decided that he was going to, 'Do what I wanted to do.' He then admitted that he went after the woman, wrestled her to the ground, placed his hand over her mouth and told her two times, 'Be quiet or I'm going to punch you.'" Mayorquin Landero Jr. "denied any intentional sexual contact with the victim," the complaint added.
Jasurda shared her story with FOX6 News with the hope of educating the public and preventing this from happening to someone else.
"In three minutes, he changed my entire life and all in the backyard of my own house," she said.