An Edinburg man was sentenced to 185 years in prison after he was found guilty of nine counts of sexual abuse of a child last Friday.
Jose Guadalupe Lopez Cadena, 68, was charged with one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, a first degree felony, two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, first degree felony, four counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, second degree felonies, onc count of sexual assault of a child, second degree felony, and one count of indecency with a child by exposure, a third degree felony.
According to a news release, Cadena’s longest sentence was 25 years for continuous sexual abuse of child under 14. He will be serving the nine sentences concurrently.
The three victims are reported to have been between the ages of 9 and 16 years of age at the time of the assaults, which reportedly took place in 2015 and 2016.
Cadena was arrested on May 28, 2017, by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our office is very proud of the exemplary work of Special Crimes Division Chief Hope Palacios and Assistant District Attorney Veronica Bernal McCann for bringing justice to the victims,” said Criminal District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez, Jr. “We will continue seeking justice and serving as a voice to the victims in the prosecution process.”
Special Crimes Division Chief Hope Palacios and Assistant District Attorney Veronica Bernal McCann prosecuted the assailant in the nine counts. Special Crimes Division Investigator Linda Greenwood, and Victim Advocates Ilda Sifuentes and Sandra Rodriguez also assisted in the process of the case.
The case was investigated by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
Cadena’s sentence was handed down on Monday, March 16, by 464th District Court Judge Ysmael Fonseca.
Any suspected child abuse can be reported by calling 1-800-252-5400. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
