A Lee County jury near Lexington, Texas, sentenced Benjamin Earlie Thornton, 67, to two consecutive life terms plus 20 years in prison last week after convicting him of multiple child sexual abuse charges.
The convictions come after a lengthy investigation spearheaded by the Texas Attorney General’s Office in collaboration with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
“This monster committed heinous acts against a child and will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Prosecuting predators who abuse kids will always be a top priority,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a press release announcing the sentencing.
“I’m proud of our team of prosecutors and investigators who worked to put this criminal away,” He added.
The Lexington man was also fined $10,000 following his conviction on two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and one count of Indecency with a Child by Contact.
A Texas jury deliberated for approximately ten minutes before returning the maximum sentence on all three charges against Thornton, according to the Attorney General’s office. The swift verdict followed a long emotional and disturbing testimony that revealed Thornton’s pattern of abuse dating back over the past few years.
According to prosecutors, Thornton sexually assaulted a 4-year-old family member in 2021. The child’s story was supported in court by a forensic interviewer, a sexual assault nurse, and law enforcement officials working on the investigation. During the sentencing phase against Thornton, six additional women testified that the man had previously groomed or assaulted them in various ways, from various instances of harassment to felony acts of aggravated assault.
For perspective, data shows that one in six high school students in Texas say they’ve experienced sexual abuse at some point in their lives. By comparison, childhood cancer affects roughly one in 285 kids before they turn 20, highlighting the widespread abuse.
Additionally, About 60% of children who experience sexual abuse never report it.