Springdale Man Guilty Of Raping Child

FAYETTEVILLE — A Springdale man, Gerardo Gomez-Jimenez, 31, was found guilty Wednesday of raping a 12-year-old girl.

The Washington County Circuit Court jury took about an hour and a half to find Gomez-Jimenez guilty of three counts of rape.

A sentencing hearing is set for this morning.

Gomez-Jimenez
Gomez-Jimenez

Because the girl is younger than 14, Gomez-Jimenez faces 25 to 40 years or life in prison on each count. He also will have to serve 70 percent of any sentence he is given before being eligible for parole.

The girl testified the abuse began when she was about 10 or 11 years old and that Gomez-Jimenez made threats to harm her if she told anyone about the abuse.

Gomez-Jimenez didn't take the stand but admitted in an interview with police he had sex with the girl on multiple occasions and said he had no regrets about it.

“He said he had no regrets,” Prosecutor Attorney John Threet told jurors in the state’s closing arguments. “Today is the day you make him regret what he did to this girl over and over and over and over.”

Both Gomez-Jimenez and the girl initially denied anything happened but details in later statements to police by both matched.

The defense contended there was no proof provided by the state in the form of DNA evidence, a rape kit, pictures or videos. They also argued the girl wasn't a credible witness because she had first denied there was sex and later said there had been.

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