District Attorney Michael Murray reported that on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, Jason Anthony Padilla of Brownwood was tried in the 35th District Court of Brown County for three three counts of Sexual Assault of a Child – Bigamy, Indecency with a Child by Contact, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
At the conclusion of the trial, Judge Mike Smith found Padilla guilty of all charges and sentenced him to Life in Prison for each of the counts of Sexual Assault of a Child – Bigamy, 20 years confinement for the offense of Indecency with a Child by Contact, and 2 years confinement in the State Jail Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for the Possession of a Controlled Substance. Each sentence was the maximum allowed by the law.
Assistant District Attorney Cara Landers presented evidence that Padilla began to sexually assault a teenager in 2020. He went on to have her ingest alcohol and narcotics during the sexual abuse, which continued for over 2 years.
In the fall of 2022, she came forward to law enforcement and an investigation began. The investigation, led by the Brown County Sheriff’s Department, uncovered evidence of repeated instances of sexual abuse and domestic abuse.
During the trial, officers from multiple agencies, including the Brownwood Police Department, Brown County Sheriffs Office and the Early Police Department, all testified, along with a sexual assault nurse and numerous civilian witnesses, including the indicted victim.
The case was tried by Cara Landers and Elisha Bird of the 35th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to advocate for a woman who has survived the unimaginable and has had the courage to come forward and confront her abuser,” Landers said in a press release. “We are also deeply indebted to the member of law enforcement who worked tirelessly to put the pieces of this investigation together and for the way agencies in this community collaborated to bring this perpetrator to justice. While nothing can completely erase the pain caused by a crime of this magnitude, it is our hope that a maximum sentence sends a message to this community about the zeal with which children should be protected and supported.”