A twice-convicted felon who sexually abused a 3-year-old girl was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Friday.
Judge Ralph Strother of Waco’s 19th State District Court sentenced Justin Lee Brinegar to the maximum term after a jury found the 42-year-old former Bosqueville man guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child younger than 6 on Thursday.
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The jury deliberated about five hours before convicting Brinegar of the first count, but deadlocked on the second count, which charged him with indecency with a child by contact. Strother declared a mistrial on that count.
Brinegar elected to have the judge rather than the jury assess punishment.
“We would like to thank the jury and the judge for their part in this case,” said Assistant District Attorney Landon Ramsay, who prosecuted the case with Gabrielle Massey. “We are extremely pleased with the verdict and sentence. Not only is this justice for our community, but also it is justice for the victims of this predator.
“This verdict will never erase the evil done by this man, but it will provide some closure and a renewed hope for the victims that good will triumph over evil.”
The girl, a relative of Brinegar’s who is now 8 and living in Arkansas, told jurors that Brinegar made her watch a pornographic movie with him while he sexually abused her in 2009.
A 22-year-old woman, who also is a relative of Brinegar’s, testified that he also sexually abused her in 2007 when she was 15. She said she did not report it to anyone until she learned that the younger girl had been assaulted.
The woman told jurors Brinegar told her after the assault that, “sex is just sex, no matter who you have it with.”
“He has to be stopped,” she said. “He can’t keep doing this and then acting like nothing ever happened.”
