May 6, 2021
(McKinney, Texas) – District Attorney Greg Willis announced that Marcelino Lopez-Martinez, 37, of Carrollton, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. “We are so proud of this child for having the strength to report this predator after enduring an entire year of his abuse,” Willis stated after sentencing.
Lopez-Martinez had access to the child through a relationship with the child’s family. When the child was 8 years old, Lopez-Martinez sexually assaulted her for the first time. Over the next year, Lopez-Martinez sexually abused the child multiple times. When the child was 9 years old, she disclosed the abuse to her mother.
Detective Vanessa Evanoff with the Frisco Police Department investigated the case. The child was forensically interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County and disclosed details about the sexual abuse.
Judge Richard Beacom presided over the jury trial. The jury assessed punishment at 40 years in prison. By law, a sentence for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child is without eligibility for parole.
Assistant District Attorneys Ashleigh Woodall and Carrie Thomas prosecuted the case, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Gregory Bowers, Victim Assistance Coordinators Casey Hendrix and Rebecca Royer, and Legal Secretary Christy Ware.
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