This October marks six years since the Brazos County sheriff’s office began an investigation of a sexual assault of a girl that began when the victim was in elementary school and continued past the victim’s 18th birthday.
A news release from the district attorney’s office says the victim, her sister, their mother, and numerous friends and family members were in the courtroom last Friday when 49 year old Luis Manuel Marroquin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years.
A plea agreement includes no parole and credit for time served.
And jail records say he is being held for immigration authorities.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
Luis Marroquin was sentenced to 20 years prison for two counts of Prohibited Sexual Contact and 30 years prison for Sexual Abuse of a Child Under the Age of 14 on August 18, 2023 in the 272nd District Court.
The 30-year sentence must be served day for day with no opportunity for parole.
On October 6, 2017, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to a home after the mother of M.M. called the Sheriff’s department having discovered her husband’s “lost” cell phone. Numerous pictures and videos of the defendant sexually abusing the mother’s child was found.
Investigator Trey Oldham arrived on scene and spoke with M.M. about the photos and videos discovered on the defendant’s phone. Now an adult, she shared that she could not recall when the defendant began sexually abusing her but knew she was in elementary school when the abuse began, and continued for years. The abuse ended after she attempted to take her own life.
On many occasions the defendant would threaten M.M. that if she told her family would not have any money and that God would punish her.
M.M. attempted to leave the family home on several occasions but was stopped by the defendant each time with new threats of harm to her or her family.
When the details of the abuse came to light the defendant fled the country. He remained in contact with M.M’s younger sister while in hiding hoping to influence his children so that they would not cooperate
with the case. He remained in hiding until arrested on August 31, 2022.
The victim, her sister, her mother and numerous friends and family were present in court to hear the defendant plead guilty and give their victim impact statements, where they told the defendant how his actions have effected them and their family. They were pleased and relieved with the sentence.
Assistant district attorney Kristin Burns issued the following statement: “The defendant preyed on a vulnerable child through his actions, and his threats to harm her family. We are thankful the defendant
will be in prison where he belongs and the family is pleased with the sentence.”