Life Without Parole For A Bryan Man Convicted Of Continuous Sexual Abuse Of Three Girls

Photo of the Brazos County courthouse taken May 3, 2022.
Photo of the Brazos County courthouse taken May 3, 2022.

Photo of Leopoldo Pena from https://jailsearch.brazoscountytx.gov/JailSearch/default.aspx
Photo of Leopoldo Pena from https://jailsearch.brazoscountytx.gov/JailSearch/default.aspx
A Bryan man will spend the rest of his life in prison for sexually abusing three young girls over a six year period.

It took more than five and a half years to get 42 year old Leopoldo Rodriguez Pena to trial. That included two indictments, two plea conferences, and the trial date being set 12 times.

A Brazos County district court jury heard from the three girls who reported the abuse in April 2017.

Pena, who was released from jail on bond in October 2018, returned to jail after the jury convicted him of continuous sexual abuse of a child the week before Thanksgiving.

The jury returned the week after Thanksgiving and deliberated two hours before returning the maximum punishment of life in prison without parole.

News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:

Leopoldo Pena, 42, was sentenced to Life in prison by a Brazos County jury today (December 2, 2022). Pena was convicted by the same jury on Friday, November 18, 2022 of the offense of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child.

In April of 2017, three female children reported that Pena had sexually abused them over the previous six years. All three young girls were interviewed at Scotty’s House as part of the investigation by the College Station Police Department.

The three girls initially disclosed the abuse to their mother. When they were interviewed at Scotty’s House, they each gave details of the abuse, which they also testified to at trial. The jury also heard evidence of the defendant’s apologies to the children’s mother and the cell phone that he erased to prevent the discovery of evidence.

Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child is considered an aggravated first degree felony, with a punishment range of 25 years to 99 years or life in prison.

The sentence is required to be served straight, meaning there is no possibility of parole.

The jury trial in this case began on November 14, 2022. The jury heard testimony for the remainder of the week before hearing closing arguments and returning a verdict on Friday, November 18 after deliberating for about five hours.

The jury returned on Friday, December 2 to hear punishment evidence after a break due to the holiday week and the court’s schedule. The jury sentenced Pena to life in prison after just over two hours of deliberation.

Assistant district attorneys Kara Comte and Kristin Burns issued the following statement: “When children suffer in silence because of their abuse, the justice that comes after they speak should be strong. A Brazos County jury ensured that justice could occur for three young girls who were finally strong enough to find their voices.”