A professor testifying in a cold-case trial in Southern California said Thursday that she was intimidated into identifying her rapist to the man now charged with killing him in 1995 . Norma Esparza , who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the case and agreed to testify , said from the stand that her ex-boyfriend , Gianni Van , now 45 , was outraged when he heard about the assault and demanded that she find and point out Gonzalo Ramirez at the bar where she met him . Van is now charged with the murder of Ramirez . Prosecutors allege Van and friends kidnapped and beat Ramirez and left him by the roadside . ' I was intimidated ' : Norma Esparza , pictured here during a press conference in 2013 , testified Thursday at the murder trial of ex-boyfriend , Gianni Van , 45 , who is charged with killing a man in 1995 she claims raped her . She says Van intimidated her into identifying the murder victim , Gonzalo Ramirez . Accused : Gianni Van , 45 , ( left ) is accused of the 1995 murder of Gonzalo Ramirez ( right ) , whose blindfolded , bloodied body was found on the side of an Irvine , California road having suffered 30 blows with a cleaver . 'We were sitting around a booth next to an entrance or exit , and at some point I see Gonzalo Ramirez walk by , ' Esparza said of the night in 1995 , according to the Orange County Register . 'When I see him , I cringe , ' she said , showing how she reacted by bending her head down and putting her face in her hands . ' I did n't want to see him again . ' Esparza , testifying in the trial 's second day , said she was 'broken ' by the assault , that Van was directing his anger not just at her attacker but at her , and that she did not know what Van and his friends would do once she pointed out Ramirez . 'He would just insult me , ' she said . 'He would rant and just be explosive . ' Revenge ? Prosecutors say Van killed Ramirez as revenge for raping his on-and-off girlfriend Norma Esparza ( pictured ) . They divorced and Esparza went on to become a psychology professor in Europe and the mother of a little girl ( left ) . Esparza is pictured right upon her arrest while re-entering the U.S. in 2012 . Van 's lawyer , Jeremy Dolnick , said his client had no role in the murder and knew nothing of any plans to kidnap or kill Ramirez . The case has drawn international attention since Esparza — who went on to become a psychology professor and moved to France — was arrested in 2012 , provoking an outcry from advocates for sexual assault victims who say the case sends a chilling message to rape survivors . Esparza , 40 , is expected to receive a six-year sentence in exchange for testifying at the trials of Van and another defendant . During opening statements this week , Senior Deputy District Attorney Mike Murray showed graphic photos of Ramirez 's blindfolded , mangled body lying on the side of the road in a pool of blood . 'Gonzalo Ramirez was targeted , and he was targeted by somebody who was going to make sure he suffered , ' Murray said . 'Whether Norma Esparza was sexually assaulted or not , for our purposes today , does n't matter . What matters is she told the defendant that . Involved ? The prosecution alleges Van was aided by his friend Kody Tran ( center ) and Tran 's wife Diane Tran ( right ) as well as Tran 's employee Shannon Gries ( left ) . Kody Tran killed himself during an unrelated standoff with police in 2013 . Diane Tran has taken a plea deal and will testify against Van . Shannon Gries awaits trial on murder charges . Prosecutors say Ramirez was taken to the transmission shop of his friend Kody Tran , where he was blindfolded , chained up and beaten . They say he was found having suffered 30 blows from a meat cleaver , reports the Orange County Register . The prosecution alleges Van was aided by Tran and Tran 's wife Diane Tran as well as Tran 's employee Shannon Gries . His body was found dumped on the side of a road in Irvine . 'It was beyond horrific , ' Murray said . 'It was the act of an incredibly angry man ... The defendant was out of his mind with anger . ' 'He felt that he had been violated , ' Murray said of Van .
Norma Esparza , 40 , is facing six years in state prison after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter . She is four of one people accused of the 1995 killing of Gonzalo Ramirez , 24 , who she claims raped her . A professor in Geneva , she was arrested in the cold case murder tin 2012 when she re-entered the U.S. for an academic conference . She says her ex-boyfriend , Gianni Van , forced her to identify Ramirez and then coerced her to keep the murder secret for almost two decades . Esparza is now testifying at Van 's murder trial , which is in its second day .