A Houston man was sentenced to 20
years in prison after admitting to repeatedly raping a nine-year-old boy he was
babysitting, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Wednesday.
“Children are the most vulnerable
people in our society and when an adult victimizes them, it can mean life-long
trauma,” Ogg said. “That’s why our most important work is to seek justice in
cases like this and help the victim get closure and begin to heal.”
Jesus Andrade Lizama, 53, sexually
assaulted the nine-year-old victim five Saturdays in a row at the victim’s home
while he was babysitting, according to court records. During one episode,
Lizama dragged the boy from his bedroom and covered his mouth when he tried to
scream for help, court records show. Lizama also told the boy that if he would
kill the boy or his sibling if he told anyone about the abuse.
Lizama pleaded guilty to aggravated
sexual assault of a child on Tuesday and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Assistant District Attorney Edward
Appelbaum, who is assigned to the Crimes Against Children Division and
prosecuted the case, said the repeated attacks were the ultimate betrayal.
“The victim’s parents entrusted him
to take care of their child and he violated that trust,” Appelbaum said. “It’s
a sickening and heinous crime, and it is absolutely heartbreaking for the
victim and the family.”
Lizama’s guilty plea guaranteed he
would be a convicted and the victim would be spared from having wounds
re-opened during a trial.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office
investigated the case, which was reported after the boy told his parents what
had occurred.
###
Dane
Schiller
Director
of Communications
Harris
County District Attorney’s Office
500
Jefferson Street, Suite 600
Houston,
Texas 77002
