Jose Hernandez, Child Sexual Abuse of a Minor, MD 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jose Hernandez, 24, of District Heights, Maryland, will spend the next 13 years behind bars after being sentenced today for the horrific sexual abuse of a nine-year-old girl. U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced the sentence, a small measure of justice for a crime that will scar the victim for life.

Hernandez pled guilty on November 16, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. The details of the assault are chilling. On June 16, 2017, Hernandez, the victim’s stepfather’s brother, entered the family’s Northwest Washington home while the victim and her four-year-old brother were present. He then forced the girl into a bathroom, ignoring her desperate pleas for help from her sibling.

According to court documents, Hernandez physically assaulted the girl, silencing her brother by slamming the door shut. Following the attack, he didn’t flee immediately, but instead remained in the living room, attempting to manipulate the victim into silence. He explicitly threatened her, warning that reporting the abuse would result in his imprisonment and the loss of her seeing him again. The victim, initially intending to tell her parents, succumbed to Hernandez’s intimidation tactics, fearing his wrath.

The victim, displaying remarkable bravery, managed to lock Hernandez out of the house after he left and immediately contacted her mother to report the assault. Hernandez was arrested in October 2017 and has remained in custody ever since, awaiting today’s sentencing. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life, and will face five years of supervised release after serving his prison term.

The government agreed to dismiss a separate, pending gun case as part of the plea deal. Judge Danya A. Dayson handed down the 13-year sentence, acknowledging the severity of Hernandez’s crimes. This case highlights the vulnerability of children and the importance of reporting any suspected abuse.

U.S. Attorney Liu commended the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division for their diligent investigation. She also extended gratitude to the U.S. Marshals Service, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, the Children’s Advocacy Center, and Children’s National Medical Center for their contributions. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg and Stuart D. Allen, along with Victim/Witness Advocates Juanita Harris and Tracy Owusu, and Paralegal Specialists Brenda Williams, D’Yvonne Key, and T.J. McPhail, were instrumental in securing this conviction.

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