SAN MARCOS, Texas (WSVN) — A Texas man will spend the rest of his life behind bars, and then some, after a jury handed him a 1,000 year sentence for sexually abusing two young girls.
Fox 7 reports that 39-year-old Robert Franks sexually abused two young girls, ages 9 and 10, for years. Prosecutors said the girls were related to him and in his care, and believe the abuse would have continued had one of the girls not come forward.
The 9-year-old girl reportedly said Franks would force her and another girl to perform sexual acts on him, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Another adult victim later stepped forward, accusing Franks of abusing her starting when she was 10 years old.
Both children testified against Franks in court, a move that Hays County criminal district attorney Wes Mau says influenced the jury’s conviction and sentencing.
“It really just sends more of a message than it has a practical effect in this case. But it does send a message to not expect leniency if you commit these kinds of crimes,” Mau told Fox 7.
Franks was convicted of continuous sexual abuse, aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. The jury sentenced him to two life sentences plus over a thousand years in prison, all consecutive.
“That’s a total of all the 99 year sentences, plus all the 20 year sentences,” Mau said.
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