Posted on 07/16/2007 11:55:36 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Beeville man accused of sexual contact with a 6-year-old child gets 10 years in prison
A 28-year-old Beeville man accused of molesting a 6-year-old girl last summer was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday.
Ten of the jurors wanted to give Edward Lee Robinson more time behind bars but one juror didn’t believe oral sex constituted sex.
“We really wanted him to get more time but I guess we have to be satisfied with 10 years because one juror insisted on no more than five years,” said Assistant District Attorney Deborah Branch. “She didn’t think oral sex was sex.”
Robinson faced a sentence of 5-99 years in prison.
Corpus Christi attorney Michelle Ochoa represented Robinson, who told jurors the little girl was a liar.
The 6-year-old girl testified and offered jurors some details of the event, Branch said.
The girl’s mother also testified as did a nurse who deals with sexual assaults, a member of the Child Protective Service, a San Antonio patrol officer, a detective with the San Antonio Police Department’s sexual crime unit and Beeville Police Sgt. Mike Willow.
Jury selection began Monday and testimony began Tuesday.
Robinson’s father testified on his behalf.
The eight-woman, four-man jury began deliberating if Robinson was guilty or not guilty around 11 a.m. Thursday and returned a guilty verdict around noon.
They began deliberating Robinson’s sentence around 2:30 p.m. and returned a verdict around 5 p.m.
Branch said most of the jurors battled to convince the lone juror that oral sex constituted sex, but they finally gave in to her demands for a lesser sentence rather than face a hung jury.
If the jury could not come to a unanimous verdict, another jury would have been impaneled to decide the length of his sentence, Branch explained.
Bee County grand jurors returned two, two-count indictments of sexual contact with a child against Robinson in connection with the incidents, which the mother said took place in July and August, 2006. However, jurors only convicted Robinson on one of the counts.
District Judge Joel Johnson told Robinson he would get credit for the time he served in jail since his arrest last September.
Johnson also asked Robinson if he believed there was any reason sentencing should be delayed. Robinson said no.
The little girl’s mother read a victim’s impact statement to Robinson at the close of trial.
She said her daughter may not know what Robinson did to her right now but she will one day.
The woman asked Robinson to tell her daughter the truth about his actions and admit she did not lie about what happened those two days last summer.
“She doesn’t understand what has happened now, only that you called her a liar,” the mother said. “You’ve already hurt her so much.”
Robinson looked on unemotionally as the statement was read, but he was weeping when the deputy placed him handcuffed in the patrol car.
She said the little girl will one day feel pain and guilt associated with what happened to her and she could not move on with her life without knowing the truth.
Now where would she get a crazy idea like that?
Morons in the jury pool.
Thanks to Bill the Rapist.
Well, here it is. ;-)
It ain't cooking popcorn.
Makes you wonder where her mouth has been....
When did Monica Lewinsky get called for jury duty? How did I miss this?
Jim Webb’s book??
So who is the Bee County voter that seems okay with a six year old giving blow jobs?
so if said juror was mouth raped, it wouldn’t be rape?
Release the juror’s name.
Depends on what your definition of the word "is", is.
Was her first name Monica?
Reaping what Slick sowed.
Fixed for accuracy.
Hey, it's not sex, is it?
I’d make a joke about a hung jury, but that’s beneath me.
(Oops, did I just make a joke anyway?)
Oral sex - thats where they just sit around and talk about it, right? ;>
BJ Clinton strikes again.
TDC needs to make sure this Robinson is “released” into General Population. Betcha he’ll get a whole new understanding of what sex is.
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