A New Mexico man was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted in El Paso of continuous sexual abuse of a child, authorities said.
An El Paso jury convicted 39-year-old Bernardo Gomez, of Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child on Friday, May 1, during a 5-day trial, El Paso District Attorney James Montoya announced in a news release.
Bernardo Gomez
The jury also decided on the lengthy prison sentence. Gomez is not eligible for parole, the news release states. He will have to register as a sex offender.
“The victims in this case showed tremendous courage by coming forward and testifying about the abuse inflicted upon them,” Montoya said in a statement. “Our office continues to prioritize our oldest remaining cases for trial and we are grateful for the jurors who answered the call for service, listened to the victims, and held the defendant accountable for his heinous conduct.”
Judge William Moody of the 34th District Court presided over the trial at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in Downtown El Paso. Assistant District Attorneys Samantha Nelson and Danielle Escontrias prosecuted the case for the district attorney’s office.
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2 victims come forward stating Gomez sexually abused them
A victim, who was 11 years old at the time, reported to the victim’s mother in March 2020 that Gomez was sexually abusing the victim, the news release states.
The sexual abuse happened over multiple years, beginning when the victim was in kindergarten and continuing through fifth grade. El Paso jail logs list the offense date as January 2015.
The victim told investigators that the abuse began while the family was living in New Mexico and continued after they moved to El Paso, the news release states. No information has been released about the victim’s connection to Gomez.
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As law enforcement investigated the sexual abuse report, a second victim came forward stating that Gomez had also sexually abused this victim, the news release states.
Both victims testified at trial about the abuse they endured for several years. Key evidence presented during the trial included text messages showing Gomez apologizing after being confronted by one of the victim’s mothers, the news release states.
Gomez was out on bond as he awaited trial. He was booked into the El Paso County jail on Friday, May 1, after the jury sentenced him to prison.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Jury sentences New Mexico man to prison in El Paso child sex abuse case