SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man convicted in February on multiple charges relating to the continued sexual abuse of a young girl was sentenced to 40 years in prison Friday.
During the trial, the victim, who is now 8, told jurors that she was 5 when Rafael Mendez, 67, began to abuse her. Mendez's wife was the victim's babysitter.
The girl told her mother a year later.
"A 40-year sentence for a 67-year-old defendant is essentially a life-sentence," said District Attorney LaHood in a statement released Friday. "Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who prey on our children."
Mendez was convicted on one count of super aggravated sexual assault of a child, one count of indecency with a child by contact and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Super aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony, punishable by 25 years to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Indecency with a child by contact is a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years confinement and up to a $10,000 fine. Continuous sexual abuse of a child is a first-degree felony, punishable by 25 years to life in prison without the possibility of parole.