Montclair man sentences to 58 years in prison for sexually abuse his stepdaughter
A Montclair man found guilty in July of sexually abusing his stepdaughter was sentenced Monday to 58 years in state prison.
Juan Trujillo Barajas, 40, was sentenced according to the terms recommended by the county Probation Department in West Valley Superior Court, in Rancho Cucamonga. He received credit for 582 days already served in county jail, and he must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before he can be considered for release.
The 16-year-old victim spoke at the sentencing hearing and asked the court for leniency, according to prosecutors.
Jurors convicted Barajas on July 13 of two dozen felony counts, including continuous sexual abuse of a child, after deliberating just four hours.
Barajas' stepdaughter accused him of forcing her to have sex several times a week for more than a year, according to prosecutors. He was arrested May 12, 2010, after the girl first disclosed the alleged abuse to a relative.
The abuse began when the victim was as young as 12, according to prosecutors.
The forced intercourse took place at a home where the girl lived with Barajas, her mother and her siblings, as well as at a Baldwin Park Mexican restaurant where Barajas and the girl worked, the girl said.
When the verdicts were announced in court, relatives and other supporters of Barajas cried. The girl's mother - Barajas' wife - has said the guilty verdicts were an injustice.
But the victim spoke out in a statement attached to a defense brief that was submitted to the court.
"I don't want people to judge me or call me a liar because I'm not, the abuse happened and I will never forget it," the victim wrote. "It robbed me from many childhood memories and experiences but I am strong and I will overcome this."
A defense motion for a new trial for Barajas was also denied Monday.
Leave a comment