A North Texas man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child.
According to a news release from Ellis County District Attorney’s office, a jury found 29-year-old Esteban Gonzalez Zambrano guilty of the charge after deliberations that lasted only 40 minutes.
Gonzalez’s jury trial began on February 22. During the trial, jurors heard evidence that Zambrano sexually assaulted a 9-year-old child on July 11, 2019.
According to the news release, the child told her mother about the assault immediately after it happened.
The child’s mother then took her to a hospital. While the child and her mother were at the hospital, Zambrano went to the child’s home and told her sisters that the touching was just an accident.
The jury also heard evidence that Zambrano had sexually assaulted the child’s sister when she was under the age of 17.
Following his guilty verdict, the 29-year-old — now facing five to 99 years or life in prison for the first-degree felony — elected to go to the judge for punishment.
Zambrano’s punishment hearing began on March 11.
After considering both the initial evidence introduced in the guilt and innocence phase of the trial and the additional evidence presented in the punishment phase, Honorable Judge Cindy Ermatinger of the 443rd Judicial Court sentenced the 29-year-old to 60 years in prison.
“Child victim cases are some of the toughest cases we prosecute, and the passage of time does not make the process easier for the child or the case,” said Ann Montgomery, Ellis County & District Attorney. “Despite that reality, our office is committed to seeking justice for the victims.”
Assistant County & District Attorneys Grace Pandithurai and Sherry Roeder, along with County & District Attorney Investigators Todd Woodruff and Bryan Norris, prosecuted the case.
According to the press release, Zambrano must serve the first 30 years of his sentence before he can be eligible for parole.