Pictures

REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Oklahoma from above

Aerial images from the tornado aftermath.   Slideshow 

Pictures

Photo

Reuters Photojournalism

Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography.  See more | Photo caption 

Photo

Devastated by Tornado

A huge tornado tears through an Oklahoma City suburb.  Slideshow 

Photo

Message of humility

A religious fraternity in Rio considers the election of Pope Francis, a confirmation of their beliefs in poverty and simplicity.  Slideshow 

Sponsored Links

Texas man sentenced to 99 years over gang rape of 11-year-old

Related Topics

By Jim Forsyth

SAN ANTONIO | Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:16pm EDT

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - A Texas man accused of taking part in the gang rape of an 11-year-old girl in an abandoned trailer along with 19 other men and boys was convicted on Thursday of aggravated sexual assault in a case that shocked a small Texas town, court officials said.

The man, 20-year-old Eric McGowen, was sentenced to 99 years in prison, Liberty County Court officials said. He had been free on bond pending the outcome of the trial but disappeared after the victim testified against him on Wednesday. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

Court documents show the girl told police she was picked up by three men in November 2010 and taken to an abandoned trailer where she was told she would be beaten up "by a gang of girls" if she did not engage in sexual activities with the men.

More men arrived and sexually assaulted the girl. Eventually, as many as 20 participated in the assault. The gang rape came to light after cellphone video of it surfaced.

The assault shocked residents in Cleveland, Texas, a town of 7,500 residents about 50 miles northeast of Houston, and prompted angry exchanges on Houston area talk shows.

McGowen was the first of those charged in the case -- who range from middle school age to their late twenties -- to have gone to trial. Six juveniles and two adults have pleaded guilty to charges in the case.

Prosecutors declined to discuss the case on Thursday, citing a gag order that was issued in March 2011.

(Editing by David Bailey, Cynthia Johnston and Mohammad Zargham)
U.S.
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (1)
cathy1954 wrote:
OMG! This is awful, absolutely disgusting. How could all those monsters do this to anyone let alone an 11 yr old. I don’t know how the people of that town have kept from going beserk. I hope all of them do long hard time in one of the “friendlier” prisons and the school aged boys join them. The ones that pleaded guilty will probably get some probation sentence only to continue the same behavior. I feel so terrible for that poor little girl. She had to be so, so frightened, she probably went into shock. She will be scarred for life not just emotionally but physically as well. She will never learn to deal with this horrible traumatic and tragic event. Weren’t her parents worried and wonder about her whereabouts? I will keep this little thing in my thoughts for a very long time.

Aug 30, 2012 11:49pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.
See All Comments »