SAN ANGELO, TX — A San Angelo man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison without possibility of parole after a jury convicted him of continuously sexually abusing a child over a two-year period.
Joel Horacio Morales, 36, was found guilty Friday in Tom Green County district court of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, a first-degree felony punishable by 25 to 99 years or life without parole.
The abuse occurred between 2016 and 2018, beginning when the victim was 10 years old, according to testimony and court documents. The girl, then 12, reported the assaults to her father and stepmother on Jan. 6, 2019, prompting a San Angelo Police Department investigation that led to Morales's indictment.
The trial began on Monday. After hearing testimony and evidence, the jury deliberated more than three hours before returning the guilty verdict on Friday.
In the punishment phase, the victim testified about the lasting impact of the abuse. Prosecutors presented Morales' prior criminal record, which includes two felony convictions for possession of cocaine, one felony conviction for evading arrest with a motor vehicle, and five misdemeanor convictions.
Defense witnesses, including Morales' mother and the 17-year-old daughter of his current fiancée, testified about the potential effects of a lengthy sentence on the family.
The jury assessed punishment at 50 years. Morales was booked into the Tom Green County Detention Center on Jan. 15 with no bond.
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