An Eagle Pass, Texas, man will spend the rest of his life in prison for sexually abusing a friend’s son a decade ago.
Alfredo Arasa Herrera, 45, a registered sex offender, was convicted by a Kendall County jury in the 451st District Court in May 2024 of indecency with a child by sexual contact.
Herrera molested a then-5-yearold boy in 2014 while Herrera temporarily resided on the same property as the child’s family. Herrera was the child’s half-brother, sharing the same father.
The Kendall County District Attorney’s Office said due to “a delayed outcry,” the offense was reported to Boerne Police Department in 2020, which forwarded the case to the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office.
The District Attorney’s Office last month closed the cases of nine individuals, all convicted and released to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Correctional Institutions Division. Herrera was one of the nine.
During Herrera’s trial, the victim, now 14, testified Herrera touched him sexually and then threatened to kill his parents if he told anyone.
Herrera, a U.S. citizen, moved frequently between Mexico, Eagle Pass and Kendall County, to the family’s home just north of the Boerne city limits. He was possibly with the family for as long as a year, the district attorney’s office stated.
Primary prosecution witnesses were the 14-yearold and the child forensic examiner, who interviewed the child about the offense and is an expert in conducting interviews with sexual assault victims.
Alexandra Torres, Children’s Alliance of South Texas executive director, testified that it “is common for child victims not to disclose abuse immediately due to various factors, such as closeness to the abuser and feeling of guilt and shame.”
“The child was brave enough to face his abuser, submit himself to cross-examination by the defendant’s attorney, and in front of 12 strangers and others present in court, he told the truth about what happened to him, in significant detail,” said Nicole Bishop, Kendall County Criminal District Attorney.
“He had to talk about something that was deeply traumatizing, something no child should endure,” Bishop said. “Despite attempts to discredit him, a Kendall County jury believed beyond a reasonable doubt that the child was telling the truth.”
After being found guilty, Herrera entered the punishment phase of the trial, where he automatically faced a life sentence before 451st District Court Judge Kirsten Cohoon.
The life sentence was automatic due to his previous indecency with a child conviction. Herrera was previously convicted in 2000 of indecency with a child on contact, in Travis County. He was also convicted in 2018 for failure to register as a sex offender in Maverick County.
He will be eligible to apply for parole in 35 years, when he will be 80 years old.
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Alessandra Dieke and Andrew Fields prosecuted the case for four days before Cohoon.
“The fact a convicted child predator ever has the opportunity to abuse another child is tragic for the entire community,” Dieke said. “The life sentence ... will ensure that never happens again.”
Fields said the sentence proves Kendall County residents will not stand for such abhorrent behavior.
“The jury clearly understood the law and held this predator accountable for his actions,” Fields said. “I sincerely hope the victims and their families are able to rest and heal.”
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