A Collin County jury has sentenced a 65-year-old man from Rosenberg to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Donald Byron Joachim abused the victim over the course of many years, starting when she was a toddler and lasting until she was 13. He had access to the child through a relationship with her family. The abuse occurred in Celina between 2017 and 2020, as well as in Canyon Lake and Austin.
The victim told her sister-in-law about the abuse when she was 14, leading to a report to the Comal County Sheriff’s Office. Joachim confessed to several family members after the outcry. The investigation revealed he had abused multiple other children in the late 1990s and early 2000s by grooming them through family connections.
“For too long, this predator exploited trust within families to abuse multiple children across years and locations. Today’s life-without-parole sentence sends a clear message that Collin County will relentlessly pursue justice and safeguard our children,” District Attorney Greg Willis said in a news release.
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Pierce Richardson and Allison Barber prosecuted the case, with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Greg Bowers and Victim Assistance Coordinator Melissa White. District Judge Tom Nowak presided over the trial.
