Waco man sentenced to prison for making sexual advances to an underage relative

WACO, Texas (KWTX) – A retired music equipment and organ technician was sentenced to seven years in prison Tuesday for sexually propositioning a 13-year-old family member in May 2021.

Jurors in Waco’s 19th District Court deliberated for just six minutes before finding 63-year-old Guadalupe (Sonny) Juarez guilty of criminal solicitation of a minor. The jury of seven men and five women spent 30 minutes deciding Juarez’s sentence.

Jurors had the option of recommending that Judge Thomas West sentence Juarez to five to 99 years in prison, and up to life. The offense was downgraded from a second-degree felony to a first-degree felony because Juarez, who did not testify during the two-day trial, was convicted of aggravated robbery in Kingsville in 1986.

In his summations, Assistant District Attorney Will Hix, who tried the case with Jessica Washington, urged the jury not to impose a life sentence in this case, suggesting two alternative sentences that he said would add more meaning to each verdict.

Hix suggested a sentence of 13 years, which he said would be the age the girl was when Juarez asked her to have sex with him. Alternatively, Hix said, for those leaning toward the higher end of the sentencing scale, 51 years, the age difference between the girl and Juarez, would also be significant and appropriate.

“The speed with which this group of citizens rendered their verdict is a direct result of the strength and resilience of the young girl who had the courage to come forward,” Hix said. “Our community will not tolerate those who harm children or those who express an intent to harm them.”

Juarez, who remains free on bail, must serve a quarter of his sentence before he can apply for parole. He rejected an offer from prosecutors to grant him 10 years of probation before trial.

Darling, who challenged the Waco police investigation into the case, said he and Juarez were grateful for the verdict and the jury’s efforts. He said they would “weigh our options for appeal.”

“Sonny is disappointed that he was found guilty, but we believe justice was done with a sentence close to the minimum,” Darling said.

The girl, now 16, testified Tuesday that she spent part of Memorial Day weekend with Juarez and his wife at their home in the 3100 block of North 28th. She said she took a nap and woke up to find Juarez standing over her, watching her sleep.

He asked for her phone number, but she wouldn’t give it to him, so he got it from his wife and started texting her that afternoon, she said, adding that she found it “weird” that he was texting her.

While texting, Juarez said, “Let’s do something.” She replied, “Okay, what?” and Juarez said, “Whatever feels good.”

She asked what he meant, and he said, “I’m going to the barbecue.” She told him she was getting up from her nap, and Juarez replied, “I like getting up, too.”

Later in the texts, Juarez told her how beautiful she was and that he loved her “a lot.” Juarez asked if he scared her and she said yes.

“I would never do anything you don’t want to do,” Juarez wrote. “What are you talking about?” the girl asked.

“Only in person,” Juarez wrote. “If you come to my room, I’ll explain it to you.”

The girl testified that Juarez told her to come to his room after his wife went to sleep, but she had no intention of going to his room.

Later that evening, she went outside and Juarez approached her.

“I had this weird feeling about him,” she told the jury. “I told him I wanted to go back in. He just looked at me weird.”

She said Juarez rubbed her left arm and shoulder and later came into her room. She said he asked her if he could have sex with her and told her not to tell anyone.

“I was shaking and couldn’t speak or breathe,” she said. “It was just scary. I would look at a crystal doorknob in the room just to be able to focus on something else.”

She screamed and said she had a “panic attack” before texting her mother several hours later to pick her up. In another statement, Waco police Detective Jason Stone said he tried to call Juarez 14 times to arrange an interview with him, but Juarez never answered.

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