Saturday, July 27, 2024
WEATHERFORD — A jury in the Parker County 415th District Court convicted a Springtown man on the first-degree felony charge of repeated sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl.
On May 23, Aniceto Turrubiates Sanchez, 38, was sentenced to 35 years in prison without parole, meaning he will have to serve the entirety of his sentence.
Sanchez was initially arrested in August 2021, after his wife found him with the victim, who was partially undressed, at their home. According to a press release from the Parker County District Attorney’s Office, Sanchez’s wife testified that her husband claimed nothing happened between him and the victim, but the victim told his wife that Sanchez had been sexually abusing her. Sanchez’s wife took the victim to Cook Children’s Hospital where she was examined by a sexual assault nurse examiner. The victim reported that Sanchez had molested her between ten and 20 times, which led to his arrest the next day.
“The victim’s outcry came in on a Saturday. Within 14 hours, (Children’s Advocacy Center of Parker County) Forensic Interviewer Brittany Lain had interviewed the victim, (Parker County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Nathan) Vick had interviewed the suspect, and an arrest was made,” Parker County District Attorney Jeff Swain said in the press release. “This shows the dedication of our (Children’s Advocacy Center) staff and law enforcement officers, and the importance that they place on protecting our community’s children. They will all work nights and weekends if that’s what is needed to keep our kids safe.”
According to the press release, Sanchez told the investigator that he denied sexually abusing the victim. He pleaded not guilty in this case.
“However, what we pointed out to the jury in closing argument was that his story changed during the interview,” Assistant District Attorney Abby Placke said in the press release. “Originally, he said he came home and went to sleep. Then he said he came home and watched T.V. then fell asleep. Later, he said he was watching T.V. with the victim then fell asleep. Finally, he said he was cuddling with the victim, watching T.V., then went to sleep. We felt his hiding important details was indicative of his consciousness of guilt. Eventually, he admitted that he made a mistake, but he would never actually come out and admit what he had done.”
It took jurors almost an hour to decide on a guilty verdict, according to the press release.
When deciding punishment, Assistant District Attorney Al Charanza asked jurors for a lengthy sentence, according to the press release, because the victim will likely carry the trauma of being sexually assaulted for the rest of her life.
“Despite the fact that this was a strong case, our victim had to take the witness stand and tell our jury how the defendant repeatedly molested her,” Swain said in the press release. “She was proud to have stood up for herself, and we were very proud of her. This jury’s decision demonstrates yet again the firm stand that Parker County has long taken against pedophiles who would prey on our children.”
According to Parker County Sheriff's Office public information officer Danie Huffman, Sanchez has declined an interview with The Tri-County Reporter and did not release a statement. The Tri-County Reporter reached out to Sanchez's lawyer for comment on Friday but hasn’t received a response yet.
