Waco man gets 44 years for sex abuse Waco man sentenced to 44 years in prison in abuse of family member

A former Waco pool company owner was sentenced to 44 years in prison Monday for sexually abusing a young family member over a four-year period.

Jurors in Waco's 54th State District Court deliberated about two hours Monday morning before recommending that Judge Matt Johnson sentence Jose Salazar-Hernandez to 30 years in prison on the first count and seven years in prison on the remaining two counts.

At the request of prosecutors Hilary LaBorde, Christi Hunting Horse and Sydney Tuggle, the judge ordered Salazar-Hernandez to serve the three sentences consecutively, for a total of 44 years in prison.

Salazar-Hernandez, 43, must serve between 37 and 40 years before he is eligible for parole.

The jury of eight women and four men deliberated about seven hours before finding Salazar-Hernandez guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a young child and two counts of indecency with a child by contact.

Jurors acquitted Salazar-Hernandez on two other counts of indecency with a child by contact.

The first count carried a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison without parole and a maximum of life in prison without parole. He faced from two to 20 years in prison on the indecency counts.

In summations Friday, Tuggle asked the jury for a life prison term on the continuous sexual abuse of a young child count, saying the abuse the victim suffered from Salazar-Hernandez amounted to a life sentence for her.

"He deserves no less," she said.

Defense attorney Robert Callahan asked the jury if they noticed the statue of Themis, the Greek goddess of divine law, on top of the courthouse dome. A wind storm in June 2014 blew off the statue's left arm, which held symbolic scales of justice.

"Traditionally, she holds a scale in one hand and a sword in the other," Callahan said. "Please don't think because the arm with the scales was blown off that you should go straight to the sword in this case."

Callahan said after the six-day trial was over that he and co-counsel Kayla Dailey continue to believe that Salazar-Hernandez is innocent.

"These are difficult cases and we only take them when we truly believe in our clients' innocence," Callahan said. "There were five allegations. The jury decided three were true beyond a reasonable doubt. They obviously took their duties seriously from start to finish. We take our duties seriously, as well. We will continue to fight for Jose as we explore the possibility of appeal."

In an emotional victim-impact statement, the victim, who is now 13, cried so much at first that she could barely be heard. She told Salazar-Hernandez that she still loves him and said she wonders if he will still be the same person when he gets out.

The girl testified that Salazar-Hernandez, a family member, sexually abused her on numerous occasions beginning when she was 6. He stopped when she was 10, she said. She confided that she was abused to a friend at school when she was 11.