Willie Hernandez receives maximum sentences for child sex crimes

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) – A Wichita County jury has returned a verdict after finding a man guilty of multiple child sex crimes.

READ MORE: Verdict reached in Willie Hernandez’s child sex crimes trial

Willie Hernandez, 42, of Seymour, was found guilty Thursday morning, Sept. 26, 2024, of two counts of aggravated sexual assault on a child and one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact.

After deliberating less than 10 minutes, the same jury of 10 women and 2 men that convicted Hernandez returned the following sentences:

Count 1 — Aggravated sexual assault on a child — Life in prison
Number 2 — Aggravated sexual assault on a child — Life in prison
Count 3 — Indecency with a child by contact — 20 years in prison, $10,000 fine

After accepting the jury’s sentence, 89th District Court Judge Charles Barnard ordered the sentences to run consecutively.

“Mr. Hernandez, the evidence showed that on one occasion when you sexually assaulted the little girl, as the jury found, she said ‘Stop,’ you just laughed,” Judge Barnard said. , nobody’s laughing now.”

READ MORE: Expert testimony, closing arguments in Willie Hernandez trial

During closing arguments in the penalty phase of the trial, Wichita County District Attorney John Gillespie asked the jury to give Hernandez the maximum sentence for each of the three counts on which they convicted him.

“He’s a child rapist,” Gillespie said, pointing to Hernandez. “Now, thanks to you, he’s a convicted child rapist. This is what a child rapist looks like.”

This is a developing story. Stay with the Texoma home page for updates as more information becomes available.

Almost

Thanks for signing up!

Subscribe now

For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, visit Texomashomepage.com.