2023-01-11

JIMMY MARRUGO SENTENCED TO 45 YEARS IN TDCJ FOR CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES

On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, in the 47th District Court, after three days of testimony, a Randall County jury found Jimmy Marrugo guilty in two separate cases of child sexual assault. The charges filed were Aggravated Assault of a Child, which carries a punishment range of between 5 to 99 years in prison and Continuous Sexual Assault of a Child, which carries a punishment range of between 25 to 99 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

Both cases involve incidents that occurred between 2007-2010. Both victims were under the age of 14 at the time and were sexually abused at separate times by the defendant, who was a friend's father. Neither child came forward at the time of these assaults because of a multitude of reasons, including fear of the defendant, misplaced shame, and fear of not being believed. However, when they came forward in 2019, the case was investigated by Canyon Police Department with follow up investigation conducted by investigators at the Randall County District Attorney and assistance from the Austin Police Department in conducting interviews of witnesses who were located there. As a result of these diligent investigations, charges were filed against the defendant.

After finding him guilty on both cases, the jury then sentenced the defendant to 45 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice- Institutional Division on each case. Those sentences will run concurrently, but the defendant will never be eligible for parole in the Continuous Sexual Assault of a Child case requiring him to serve the entire 45-year sentence. In addition, he will have to register as a sex offender and both victims were granted lifetime protective orders.

District Attorney Robert Love stated, "It is very common for child victims to delay reporting sexual abuse for many reasons including fear of the offender, offender is a close family member or friend of the family, and fear of not being believed. We need to find a way, as a community, to support victims and encourage them to report these heinous crimes. When it comes to delayed reports, not every case can be prosecuted due to the loss of evidence or witnesses. However, we will always investigate these cases and when sufficient evidence exists prosecute these cases to our fullest ability."

Though justice was delayed in this case it was not denied. The Randall County District Attorney’s office thanks the jury for their service and commends the victims for their bravery.