WALKER COUNTY, Texas — On Jan. 18, in the first trial of 2024, a Walker County jury handed a 75-year-old man a prison sentence that will put him in jail for the rest of his life.
Juan Manuel Espinoza was convicted of multiple crimes related to child sex abuse going as far back as 2001, according to testimony from one victim. Some of the victims that testified against Espinoza ranged from 19 to 29 years of age, and said that they were abused by him as early as five years old--sometimes on a daily basis--while they lived under the same roof as him. One of the victims who was most recently abused by Espinoza said that his abuse only stopped when he was arrested for what he had done.
"To face the man that created such pain and trauma and stole their innocence took incredible strength and bravery, but these young women knew it was necessary to save the next generation from this predator," said lead trial prosecutor Jennifer Jenkins in a press release from the Walker County District Attorney's Office. "I pray that this gives the victims a degree of peace and closure."
Espinoza's 12 crimes he has been charged with will be served continuously as a result of a ruling from 12th District Judge David Moorman, culminating in a 375-year prison sentence for the 75-year-old.
His charges include:
- Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child under 14: 75 years without parole eligibility
- Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, two counts: 150 years for both counts
- Sexual Assault of a Child, two counts: 40-year maximum sentences for both counts
- Indecency with a Child by Contact, four counts: 80 years for all counts in total
- Indecency with a Child by Exposure, three counts: 30-year maximum sentences in total for all counts
"The jury listened to these young women and sent a clear message regarding the disgusting actions of this defendant," stated Walker County Criminal District Attorney Will Durham. "Children are the most vulnerable among us, and our office will do everything we can to protect them from those predators wanting to hurt them."
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