[ad_1]
HOUSTON — A 75-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl in 2011.
James Joseph King was convicted and sentenced by a judge during a three-day trial last week.
“Child molesters are predators, and it is crucial to seek justice in these cases to hold them accountable for their actions,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “This young girl’s family thought they could trust this man, but he betrayed them in the most horrific of ways.”
What happened
On May 8, 2011, King, who was a friend of the victim’s family, hosted a party. The victim stayed overnight, and after King’s wife went to bed, he lured her into the kitchen by promising her a sundae. That’s when he attacked. He sexually assaulted the child, and after she went to bed, he tried to do it again but the girl was able to push him off of her.
Assistant District Attorney Steven Belt and ADA Abraham Chopin prosecuted the case.
“Our children in Harris County are a little safer today than they were yesterday,” Chopin said.
They said King didn’t have a criminal record at the time of his arrest.
“Our children are precious people in our community, and we wanted to send a message that no matter how long it takes to outcry, it will be taken seriously and he would be held accountable,” Belt said. “Even though it only happened once, and the defendant did not have a criminal record, he needed to face the consequences for what he did.”
Coming forward
In 2020, when the victim was 15, she told her mother what happened. King was arrested after a Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigation.
The victim gave an impact statement on Friday after King was sentenced.
KHOU 11 on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
[ad_2]
Source link
