SAN ANTONIO – Her testimony calm and measured, a 13-year-old girl described how her neighbor Edmundo Rivera-Collado exploited her sexually as she and his children played hide-and-seek with him when she was 7.
“I didn’t know it was wrong so I just – I knew I didn’t like it,” the victim said. She testified how Rivera-Collado sexually assaulted her over a nearly two-year period from January 2011 to April of 2013.
Rivera-Collado, 49, is on trial facing allegations of continuous aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child charges.
The victim, who we are not identifying due to her age and the nature of the case, said that as part of a game of hide-and-seek, Rivera-Collado would take her into his bedroom.
“He lifted me on the bed and he would, um, he pulls down my pants,” she testified.
She said that the man and his son were supposed to hide as she counted.
“He told me to count and I would be facing the window and every time I tried to turn around he would just like “sh-h-h-h” me and tell me to keep counting.” she testified.
Rivera-Collado’s attorney Jeff Mulliner said he plans to call witnesses during the trial to refute the victim’s testimony.
“They know that this allegation against him is untrue,” Mulliner told the jury during opening arguments.
If he is convicted, Rivera-Collado is facing a minimum of 25 years in prison.
The minimum punishment for aggravated sexual assault of a child is five years in prison, but it is raised to 25 years since the charge is continuous aggravated sexual assault of a child.
The maximum sentence is life in prison.
He is also facing charges of indecency with a child and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on that count.
Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday before visiting Judge Philip Kazen in 186th District Court.