SAN ANTONIO – A prosecutor called the sexual assault of a 7-year-old boy in the restroom of what at the time was the Rialto Theater “a parent’s worst nightmare” during the sentencing of the man convicted in the case.
The sexual assault happened on May 19, 2018.
The child, his parents and his four siblings were attending a movie, and he returned from the restroom and told his mother of the assault.
“He is definitely an introvert now,” the boy’s father told Regional Administrative Judge Sid Harle. “His grades started to go away, and he won’t do anything by himself anymore. It’s affected our entire family.”
The father was addressing the judge during a sentencing hearing for Christopher Branum, 23.
Branum pleaded no contest to sexual assault charges as part of a plea agreement that called for a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.
“I’d just like to say I’m very sorry, and if I could take it back, I would,” Branum said during the hearing.
Branum’s lawyer, Robert Gebbia, said his client “lacked impulse control.” He asked Harle to sentence Branum to probation.
“He is a sexual predator,” prosecutor Brandon Ramsey countered. “He has poor impulse control and uses drugs and alcohol.”
“I see no reason to do anything other than to order that you serve 35 years,” Harle said to Branum as he signed off on the plea agreement.