RICHMOND, Texas — A 73-year-old Richmond-area man has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl, Fort Bend County prosecutors said.
A jury convicted Kevin Lynn Van Buren on Sept. 24 of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Van Buren chose to have state District Judge Steve Rogers of the 268th District Court decide his punishment. Prosecutors asked for a life sentence, and Rogers agreed after hearing evidence.
Van Buren will not be eligible for parole until he is 103, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.
According to evidence presented at trial, Van Buren abused a girl he knew and had access to. The child told her family, who contacted law enforcement.
While investigating, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Detective Melissa Tobias learned of other victims, now adults, whom Van Buren had abused as children years earlier in another state, prosecutors said.
“Every child deserves to be safe,” said Assistant District Attorney Melissa Munoz, the lead prosecutor. “This child showed extreme courage and bravery in not only disclosing the abuse, but also testifying against her abuser.”
Munoz said that by speaking up, the girl “stood up for other children Van Buren had abused in the past.”
District Attorney Brian Middleton praised Tobias and the nonprofit Child Advocates of Fort Bend for supporting the victims.
“Working together, we can ensure deviants are held accountable and victims are supported during the judicial process,” Middleton said.
Munoz and Assistant District Attorney David Dowdy tried the case. The first-degree felony carries a punishment of five to 99 years or life in prison.