Despite victim saying she lied, former KPD officer found guilty of raping teen | Crime

The jury was not convinced.

“The jury returned a guilty verdict after just under two hours of deliberation,” First Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Newell said in an email Tuesday evening. “The punishment is for the jury and will resume tomorrow morning.”

Miguel Angel Velasco-Herrera, 45, was charged on September 8, 2021, with a second-degree felony count of sexual assault of a child. He pleaded not guilty.

Velasco-Herrera had been out of jail on bail since 2021, but according to Bell County court records, the judge revoked his bail and remanded him in custody after sentencing.

Last week, a jury of six men and eight women – including two alternate jurors – was convened in the 426th Judicial District Court on October 28 to hear evidence and testimony in the case.

The state rested its case Monday afternoon following the testimony of a DNA expert who said the suspect’s DNA was found with a high degree of certainty on the accuser’s breasts. The jury was also presented with forensic evidence during the trial that showed the plaintiff’s genitals were injured, according to court testimony during the state’s presentation of the case.

In all, the jury heard testimony from thirteen people – two of them more than once – over the course of six days. The state rested its case on Monday after calling 12 people to testify. On Tuesday it was the defense’s turn and called the prosecutor’s sister to the hearing. She was the only witness for the defense and the suspect did not testify.

The defense rested its case just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday. In rebuttal, the state then called two KPD officers who had already testified.

Both the state and defense rested their cases at 10:30 am. After a lunch break, the jury listened to the judge read the indictment and court instructions before the attorneys presented their closing arguments. The jury began deliberations after their arguments.