Man sentenced to 20 years for sexually assaulting 5-year-old girl in 2011

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child, the Harris County District Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday.

James Joseph King, 75, was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl from an attack that took place in May 2011.

King was a friend of the victim's family and hosted them at a party. The victim, who was 5 years old at the time, spent the night at King's home.

According to prosecutors, King lured the child into the kitchen with the promise of ice cream after his wife had gone to bed. He sexually assaulted the girl while they were alone. They say he tried to assault her again after she had gone to bed.

In 2020, when the girl was 15 years old, she told her mother what had taken place. King was arrested following an investigation by the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

King, 75, was convicted and sentenced by a judge after a 3-day trial last week. The teen gave a victim impact statement after the sentencing.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Steven Belt said, "We wanted to send a message that no matter how long it takes to outcry, it will be taken seriously and he would be held accountable. Even though it only happened once, and the defendant did not have a criminal record, he needed to face the consequences for what he did."

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