Published: August 01, 2008 04:10 am            

Palestine man gets life for sexual assault

PALESTINE — A 24-year-old Palestine man was sentenced to life in prison without parole Thursday after being found guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

After being found guilty of the offense by a 12-person jury Thursday morning, Luis Miguel Trejo, 24, of Palestine was sentenced to life without parole in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice by Third State District Judge Mark Calhoon.

Prior to his trial, Trejo had requested that the court — rather than jury — assess his punishment if found guilty.

Testimony during the trial showed that Trejo, who was in the U.S. illegally according to authorities, had sexual intercourse with his 8-year-old stepdaughter inside their residence on North John Street during the late night hours of Oct. 5, 2007.

The jury needed just 30 minutes late Thursday morning to find Trejo guilty of the offense.

The victim was first treated at hospitals in Palestine and Jacksonville before being transferred to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas where she underwent surgery for injuries sustained during the assault.

The victim testified live via closed circuit television during the trial, describing how Trejo “threw” her on the bed and sexually assaulted her while her infant brother slept in a nearby crib in the same room.

The young girl also testified that Trejo threatened to kill her and her entire family if she spoke of the assault. She also told the jury that Trejo gave her two Advils and a cough drop following the assault and instructed her to take a shower while still in her pajamas.

Under Texas’ version of “Jessica’s Law” which took effect Sept. 1, 2007, persons found guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child in some circumstances face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and up to 99 years or life in prison.

Trejo was eligible for the enhanced sentencing guideline since the jury believed he threatened to kill the girl and her family during the commission of the offense, according to Anderson County District Attorney Doug Lowe.

Scott Holden, assistant district attorney for Anderson County, represented the state during this week’s trial which began Tuesday.

Tammy Ford, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) who examined the young victim, testified the girl lost at least 10 ounces of blood as a result of the assault.

“They had to do surgery (at the Dallas hospital) to repair injuries to her sexual organs,” Holden told the Herald-Press.

Lowe said it was “hard to imagine” the extent of the girl’s injuries and the overall impact of the experience.

“It had to be a very violent event,” Lowe said.

The defendant was represented by local attorney Paul Guillotte.

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Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com

        

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