HOUSTON — A Houston man has been sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing his 8-month-old daughter in 2020, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said.
The DA's Office said the Harris County Sheriff's Office was called to 27-year-old Luis Luna's apartment in the Alief area on August 24, 2020, after receiving reports that the infant had stopped breathing.
The child was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. The cause of death was later determined to be suffocation and investigators found signs the child had had been tied up.
The DA's Office said investigators also found evidence that the girl had been sexually assaulted.
"This baby couldn't walk or talk, and she should have been with someone who kept her safe, but instead he abused that trust," said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. "Children are the most vulnerable victims in our community."
Luna will not be eligible for parole.
"What this defendant did was one of the most horrific acts of violence imaginable -- it's the worst kind of evil in the world," said assistant DA Edward A. Applebaum, who prosecuted the case. "We are grateful to the jury for listening to all of the evidence and handing down a just verdict because the facts in the case are so brutal that no one wants to believe that it's real."
