'Sick and twisted': Adopted sons have final say before man sent to prison for sex abuse

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Six of Hayim Cohen's adopted sons gave their victim impact statements Monday morning before he is sent to prison for 40 years.

In 2023, Cohen was taken into custody after one of his adopted sons made an outcry about sexual abuse on a podcast. At the time, the boy was 17 years old. The boys were removed from the home at the time.

The teen said he and his brothers were being sexually abused by their adoptive father and used the term "rape." He said Child Protective Services (CPS) had conducted eight investigations into the family, but nothing ever came of it.

Last week, Cohen pleaded guilty to four counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child and was given 40 years in prison for each count. He also pleaded guilty to indecency with a child and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The sentences will run concurrently, so he will spend 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole. The charges represent seven victims: six of his nine adopted sons and a foreign exchange student who lived at Cohen's home for a period of time and said he was sexually abused.

SEE ALSO: Adoptive father of 9 charged after teen calls podcast alleging yearslong sex abuse

On Monday morning, the six of Cohen's sons, who range in ages from elementary school to young adults, shared their final message to him after years of abuse.

Each of them addressed him by his birth name, "Jeffrey," rather than the name he took on when he adopted Judaism.

His adopted son who made the initial outcry, who is not being identified because of the nature of the crime, took the stand first.

"Good morning to everyone except for you, Jeffrey," he said first.

He spoke directly to Cohen from the stand and described in detail the sexual abuse. Cohen was seen shaking his head subtly.

"You are a sick and twisted individual with an incurable disease," the young man who is nearly 20-years-old said. "You preyed upon innocent, innocent young boys who had nothing."

The young man who made the outcry said that Cohen made him think he was going to have a family of his own and said he was excited about it.

"Even though you did that to me, I still loved you," he said. "I was young and innocent and desperate for a normal life."

He said they were locked in a room because Cohen "couldn't face what (he) did."

"I lost (my childhood) to you," he explained. "There is no recovering it. I will never be able to tell my kids about my high school experience, my childhood best friends, but I did gain something from it. I gained courage, respect. I gained faith. I gained friends, and I gained justice today."

RELATED: Son of father accused of sexually abusing adopted sons, charged with sexual assault of sibling: DOCS

The boys detailed a home of horrors where they were deprived of food, manipulated, prohibited from going to school, given medication they did not need, cut with a knife and verbally abused.

One of the boys, who said he is now in fourth grade, said he was abused with a belt and was lied to about his biological family. He said he was forced to do things he did not like.

"You can't hurt me anymore," the boy said.

He detailed his success in school and the new skills he has gained with his new family, like playing the trombone and riding a skateboard.

"I hope you feel scared in jail, as we did living with you," the young boy said. "Everyone will treat you like garbage like you did to me. I hope you suffer like I did. I will sleep good tonight knowing you will never get out of jail. I hate you. I hate you. You look like a psychopath and that scares me. Now I can relax while you suffer."

A third boy took the stand and immediately pointed out the differences in his appearance.

"Hey, Jeffrey," he started off with. "I know I don't look recognizable, but let me remind you, I'm one of those kids that locked in a room and stole my childhood."

He said he remembers when Cohen told him that he was going to be arrested and he said he was "one of the most happy boys in the world" upon hearing the news.

He said he does not hate Cohen, but hates him for what he has done. He said he thinks about Cohen every day.

"Not positive," he said. "Not negative. I wish you could have done better as a father."

A fourth boy took the stand and said he has attempted suicide 19 times since leaving Cohen's home "from the memories and the stuff you used to do to me."

"You manipulated me in ways I was too young to ever understand," the boy said.

Two of the boys had someone else read their statements on their behalf.

Each of the six boys pointed out that Cohen will die in prison.

Several of the boys said they were adopted out of bad situations, but that Cohen's home was worse. One describing it as "hell."

The boys told Cohen how much better their lives have been since leaving his home and discussed the milestone in their lives he made them miss.

Hayim pleaded guilty less than a month before he was set to go to trial in the case.

"We took a look at the evidence and honestly, it was overwhelming," his defense attorney Charles Johnson said. "He was looking at five consecutive life sentences, plus additional charges in that case. We think that the deal that was worked out actually is something that's better for him."

Cohen was silent in court on Monday and showed no emotion. ABC13 asked Johnson if his client passed on any message that he could share. He said he did not. Johnson would not disclose whether his client took any responsibility for his actions.

"This is a rough situation and the thing is these aren't just numbers," Johnson explained why his client did not say anything. "These are actual years. It's a lot to deal with, so no he hasn't had any message, but I think that he has accepted it and resigned to the fact of what's going on."

Cohen's eldest adopted son, Avshalom Cohen, remains behind bars for sexually abusing his brothers. His case is still active.

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