Contra Costa juries convict former airline co-pilot and partner in child sexual abuse case

Separate juries in Contra Costa Superior Court convicted Rustom Bhagwagar and Jennifer Spitz Powell on all charges related to the repeated sexual abuse of a young girl, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday, Sept. 30.

A jury found Powell, 46, guilty on Monday, Sept. 28, and a second jury found Bhagwagar, 35, guilty on Tuesday, Sept. 29, the office said. Each was convicted of eight counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years old or younger and 12 counts of forcible lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14.

The office said Bhagwagar is a former commercial airline co-pilot from Florida and Powell, who was in a relationship with him, is from Walnut Creek. Evidence presented to both juries showed the abuse began when the victim was 7 years old and occurred from on or about Oct. 17, 2017, to Oct. 16, 2022, according to the office, which said it will not name the victim because of her age and the nature of the crimes.

Judge Danielle Douglas heard the case in Martinez in what the office called a rare dual-jury format, trying both defendants at once while making sure each jury heard only the evidence that applied to its assigned defendant.

Bhagwagar and Powell each face a maximum sentence of 230 years to life in state prison, the office said; both remain in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility and will be sentenced at a future date.

Deputy District Attorney Haleigh Parkinson of the Sexual Assault Unit prosecuted the case. “This young survivor showed extraordinary courage by testifying in court and facing the people who used duress to harm her,” District Attorney Diana Becton said. “These verdicts hold both defendants accountable.”

The cases are People v. Rustom Bhagwagar, Case No. 01-25-02241, and People v. Jennifer Spitz Powell, Case No. 01-25-02242.

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