La Marque Father Sentenced to 99 Years Without Parole for Sexual Abuse of Daughter
Galveston County, TX – A Galveston County jury has sentenced Reymundo SanJuan-Perez, of La Marque, to 99 years in prison with no possibility of parole after convicting him of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, his own biological daughter, spanning from 2019 through 2024.
The sentence was handed down at the conclusion of a jury trial in the 122nd Judicial District Court, presided over by Judge Jeth Jones (Cause No. 24-CR-2806). Under Texas law, a conviction for continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years to life and prohibits parole eligibility.
The case came to light in May 2024 when detectives with the La Marque Police Department were notified by Child Protective Services of an ongoing Houston Police Department investigation into a reported sexual assault in Webster, Texas. La Marque investigators determined that the same suspect, SanJuan-Perez, had sexually abused the same victim multiple times in La Marque, Galveston County.
Following a thorough investigation, SanJuan-Perez was indicted for continuous sexual abuse of a young child, a first-degree felony. Jury trial began last Tuesday, with Chief Prosecutor Whitaker Chisam and Trial Division Chief Prosecutor Adam Poole leading the State’s case.
Key testimony included:
- The victim’s mother, who described grooming behaviors she later recognized as part of the prolonged abuse
- La Marque Police Detective Evelyn Kelemen, who detailed her investigation and interrogation of the defendant
- The victim herself, who was 14 years old at the time of trial and provided powerful, emotional testimony describing years of grooming and repeated sexual abuse starting when she was only nine years old. The assaults occurred in multiple locations over the roughly five-year period.
The case went to the jury late Wednesday afternoon. After approximately seven hours of deliberation, jurors returned a guilty verdict on Thursday morning. The punishment phase began immediately.
The defense requested the minimum 25-year sentence. Prosecutor Chisam strongly opposed, highlighting the devastating, long-term impact on the victim and urging the jury to remove SanJuan-Perez from society permanently. He asked for a life sentence. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before assessing punishment at 99 years without parole.
After the verdict, Prosecutor Chisam praised the teenage victim’s extraordinary courage: “What she did in her testimony was truly unbelievable. She had tremendous poise and delivered extremely emotional testimony that was felt and believed throughout the courtroom.”
He added, “This case is all about the victim. While this in no way makes up for the horrible abuse she suffered, hopefully it will give her a sense of freedom to achieve the great things in life she so richly deserves.”
The Galveston County Criminal District Attorney’s Office commended the La Marque Police Department for its diligent investigative work that brought the case forward.
