Justice was delayed but not denied for a young woman who suffered from years of sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather starting when she was just 7 years old.
Late Tuesday, jurors convicted him of 11 felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts and sexual abuse of a child. To protect the victim, NBC Bay Area is not revealing the identity of the stepfather. He now faces 96 years in prison, and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for May.
The young girl and her mother turned to the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit after waiting nearly two years for San Jose police to arrest the stepfather. Two days after NBC Bay Area started asking questions, San Jose police arrested him.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office admitted it lost the file on the case, apologized and promised to seek justice. The DA also reviewed more than 50 active sex abuse cases to make sure no others were lost or languishing in the system.
The young woman told NBC Bay Area she is extremely "grateful and relieved" that justice has been served, and she's ready to move on with her life.
If you have a tip for the Investigative Unit, email Vicky Nguyen at vicky@nbcbayarea.com or theunit@nbcbayarea.com or call 888-996-TIPS.
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