Springtown man convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child; 35-year-prison sentence without parole given
May 24—WEATHERFORD — A Parker County jury convicted a 38-year-old Springtown man Thursday of repeatedly sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl, sentencing him to 35 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
Aniceto Turrubiates Sanchez was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a young child for an offense that came to light in 2021 when Sanchez' wife came home early from work and found the victim naked from the waist down in bed with her husband. In her testimony, the wife told jurors that her husband claimed that he was asleep and said nothing happened. However, when she asked the girl, she told her Sanchez had been molesting her.
Sanchez's wife took the girl to Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth where she was examined by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, commonly referred to as a SANE. When the girl told medical staff that Sanchez had molested her between 10 and 20 times, they contacted the Parker County Sheriff's Office and Sanchez was arrested the following day.
"Despite the fact that this was a strong case, our victim had to take the witness stand and tell our jury how the defendant repeatedly molested her," said District Attorney Jeff Swain. "She was proud to have stood up for herself and we were very proud of her. This jury's decision demonstrates yet again the firm stand that Parker County has long taken against pedophiles who would prey on our children."
During the trial, Assistant District Attorneys Abby Placke and Al Charanza presented evidence showing the speed at which PCSO Inv. Nathan Vick and the staff at the Children's Advocacy Center of Parker County got to work on the case.
"The victim's outcry came in on a Saturday," Swain said. "Within 14 hours, CAC Forensic Interviewer Brittany Lain had interviewed the victim, Vick had interviewed the suspect and an arrest was made. This shows the dedication of our CAC staff and law enforcement officers and the importance that they place on protecting our community's children. They will all work nights and weekends if that's what is needed to keep our kids safe."
In his statement to Vick, Sanchez denied touching the victim.
"However, what we pointed out to the jury in closing argument was that his story changed during the interview," Placke said. "Originally, he said he came home and went to sleep. Then he said he came home and watched TV then fell asleep. Later, he said he was watching TV with the victim then fell asleep. Finally, he said he was cuddling with the victim, watching TV, then went to sleep. We felt his hiding important details was indicative of his consciousness of guilt. Eventually, he admitted that he made a mistake, but he would never actually come out and admit what he had done."
Jurors deliberated for nearly an hour before returning with a guilty verdict.
During closing argument on punishment, Charanza asked jurors for a lengthy sentence, pointing out that Sanchez gave the victim a life sentence in which she will always have to remember.
There is no parole for defendants convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, so Sanchez will have to serve the entirety of the 35-year sentence, Swain said.
The case was tried in the 415th District Court, Judge Graham Quisenberry presiding.
