WEST CHESTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A 41-year-old old Chester County man has been sentenced to decades in prison for raping and sexually abusing a child over the course of nine years.
Lucino Ochoa-Mena of West Chester was sentenced to 40-80 years in prison on Tuesday after he was convicted of sexually abusing a girl, from when she was 5 years old until she was 14.
“The defendant really was proven at trial to systematically and repeatedly rape the victim for a period of roughly nine years, and anytime he had even just a few minutes alone with the victim, he would sexually assault her,” said Chester County Districy Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe, who called the ruling a “de facto life sentence.”
Ochoa-Mena was convicted of more than a dozen charges, including two counts of rape of a child. At sentencing, the judge noted the girl’s bravery in coming forward. De Barrena-Sarobe echoed that statement.
“Any victim here is incredibly courageous to come forward and to tell their story in front of a jury,” he said, “and we're really grateful that the victim did that in this case, because she stopped a child predator from abusing other children in the future.”
The district attorney also credited the work investigators did to secure the conviction.
“We always need society's help,” he said, “so if you see something, say something. Call police. Call ChildLine. Those reports really drive our action, and we need everybody's help to combat child abuse.”