A former pastor has been sentenced 120 years to life, plus an additional term of life without the possibility of parole after being convicted of numerous child sex abuse charges. Emilio Alberto Esperanza-Pacheco was pastor of God’s Lighthouse of Truth Church in Richmond, California, when he committed his crimes.
Editor’s note: This article refers to disturbing reports of child sex abuse, which some readers might find triggering.
In February, Esperanza-Pacheco was convicted of five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14, 10 counts of forcible lewd acts upon a child, and one count of a forcible lewd act upon a child during the commission of a first-degree residential burglary, according to a press release from the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office.
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The crimes occurred between June 1, 2023, and Oct. 14, 2023. The victim and her family were members of God’s Lighthouse of Truth Church and had developed a friendship with Esperanza-Pacheco.
Esperanza-Pacheco was found to have exploited his position of authority and trust to discourage the victim from reporting his abuse.
The victim eventually told her parents about the abuse, and Esperanza-Pacheco was arrested on Oct. 14, 2023.
Esperanza-Pacheco remained in custody throughout his trial. He will now remain in prison for the rest of his life.
Judge Danielle Douglas said that her sentencing decision in Esperanza-Pacheco’s case was driven by “two sets of aggravating circumstances.”
“The first was when Esperanza-Pacheco broke into the victim’s home with the intent to commit sexual assault,” said the district attorney’s office press release. “Under California law, a forcible sex crime committed against a child under 14 during a first-degree burglary carries a penalty of life without the possibility of parole.”
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