(ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX – Aug. 30, 2019) On Wednesday, a Rockwall County jury convicted Wylie resident Eduardo Guadalupe Gonzalez, 20, of two counts of the first degree felony offense of Aggravated Sexual Assault. After hearing all of the evidence, the jury sentenced the defendant to thirty (30) years in prison.
Jurors heard testimony that a few days before the offense date of September 5th, 2016, the defendant met his victim, a high school student, through Instagram. Eventually, the two decided to personally meet, and Lopez drove his victim to a boat ramp off of Highway 66 in Rockwall. The defendant convinced his teenaged victim to get into the backseat of his car. When he started to kiss the victim, she pushed back telling him “no”. The victim testified that she quickly realized she was locked in the car and unable to escape. The defendant then strangled and sexually assaulted the victim in the back of his vehicle. After the assault, he physically pulled her out of the car to the ground and drove off.
The defendant took the stand in his defense. He claimed that he did not do anything wrong and said the victim was the aggressor. Prosecutors were able to present evidence that the physical injuries found on the victim’s body were inconsistent with that story. They also presented expert testimony to corroborate the victim’s account.
“This jury listened carefully to all of the evidence and certainly sent a strong message that Rockwall County will not tolerate this type of conduct in our community,” said lead prosecutor Jeff Hill.
“Once again, this is a cautionary tale about Instagram and other social media,” said Rockwall County District Attorney Kenda Culpepper. “Parents, please sit down with your children and warn them about personal meetings with strangers introduced through these mediums.”
