Tecumseh man pleads guilty to raping two teens in 2022

TECUMSEH, Okla. (KFOR) - A Tecumseh man has pleaded guilty to holding two girls at knifepoint and raping them.

During 32-year-old Cliffton Davila’s trial in September, he initially pleaded not guilty - but after listening to the victims recount the horrific encounters, he surprised the courtroom.

"All of the sudden it comes down to him leaning over, telling his attorney that he wants to take a recess and coming back with, 'I'm ready to plead guilty,'" said J.R. Kidney, Tecumseh Police Chief.

Court records showed Davila admitted to knocking on two separate victim’s doors late at night and breaking in. Davila was wearing a mask at the time of the encounter. He then held a knife to the victim’s throat, held them against their will, and forced them to perform oral sex.

The community was on edge for days as word of the attacks spread.

"I didn't like it as a chief of police that I had citizens that was scared to go to bed at night," said Kidney. "We had somewhere in the neighborhood of around 40 people that reported that they received a knock of some sort, you know, that night, including two police officers and both of them with police cars in the driveway that received knocks on their houses as well." Kidney said

Davila was already a person of interest in the case but officers grew more suspicious of him when Davila called 911 and asked police if he was in trouble.

Now, a Pottawatomie County judge will decide his fate.

"It's good for the community that you know, justice is going to be served on the crimes that he committed," said Kidney.

Davila will learn his sentence for the assaults Monday, October 30.