Youth leader accused of raping, stalking teen he met at church, UT officials say
A former church youth leader is accused of grooming and preying on a teen girl from his congregation, Utah officials said.
Luis Fernando Trillo, 34, is facing more than two dozen charges in connection with the allegations, including eight first-degree felony rape counts and a count of stalking, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office said in a June 26 news release.
McClatchy News couldn’t immediately find defense attorney information for him June 27.
The 17-year-old girl reported that she met Trillo at church when she was 14, prosecutors said.
He said he liked her, then asked her in September 2022 “to be his girlfriend,” prosecutors said, noting that the pair began regularly engaging in sex acts.
The teen said “she got close to (Trillo) and started talking to him because ‘she was sad and needed some type of support,’” according to a court filing.
But, Trillo grew jealous when the teen started making friends, “taking her phone and not letting her leave his car at one point,” prosecutors said.
Eventually, the teen broke things off, and Trillo showed up at her school, followed her to a friend’s house and also threatened to “make her famous in the worst way,” prosecutors said, noting the girl reported Trillo had nude images of her.
In the news release, District Attorney Sim Gill said, “we applaud this brave young survivor for cooperating with the investigation and prosecution to help ensure the defendant is held accountable for his alleged actions.”
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Youth leader accused of raping, stalking teen he met at church, UT officials say."
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