A man from Durham was sentenced to 40 years in a prison by Virginia judge on Friday for sexually abusing a girl when they were both living in Stafford, Virginia more than a decade ago.
Julio Cesar Palacios–Ramirez, 40, of Durham, was sentenced in Stafford Circuit Court by Judge Charles Sharp, according to a report by Fredericksburg.com. Palacios–Ramirez was sentenced to 50 years with 10 years suspended. He previously had been convicted of rape and taking indecent liberties with a child.
Sharp’s chose to exceed the recommended Virginia guidelines, which called for a maximum sentence of 12 years and six months. Sharp noted that Palacios–Ramirez’s comments prior to sentencing were “all about yourself” and said nothing about the victim whose youth he had “mangled,” according to the report.
Evidence in the case showed the victim was 12 years old when Palacios–Ramirez began sexually assaulting her beginning in late 2007. Both were living in a Stafford residence along with between 13 and 15 other people.
Palacios–Ramirez apologized after some of the attacks, court records show, but continued repeating the molestation. He told the girl not to say anything and said sex with her helped “relieve” his pain. Palacios–Ramirez’s wife had left him shortly before the attacks began, the report said.
The victim told police that the attacks happened two or three times a week for several years and continued well after she moved out of Stafford.
The victim reported the attacks in 2016.
Police recorded a phone call betweent the victim and Palacios–Ramirez to gather evidence. They talked about medical issues and other things before the woman stated, “I know we have never talked about this, but I have waited a long time and would like to clear up some things.”
In the recorded call, Palacios–Ramirez acknowledged that what he did was wrong and blamed it in part on abuses he suffered as a child in El Salvador, the report said. He talked about being under a “curse” that he couldn’t break, and said he was sorry for what he had done.
Palacios–Ramirez had been held in the Rappahannock jail since being arrested in February 2017.
Joe Johnson: 919-419-6678, @JEJ_HSNews
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