Posted on 02/02/2010 7:36:50 PM PST by Born Conservative
Contemplating the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison, Felix Montoya wrote a letter to the judge, explaining he had made a "big mistake" the night he got high on drugs and alcohol and raped a 5-year-old girl.
On Tuesday Lackawanna County Judge Michael Barrasse referred to Mr. Montoya's letter before handing down a life sentence, plus 20 to 40 years more.
"It was more than a big mistake," Judge Barrasse said. "It was a heinous and brutal crime."
Mr. Montoya, a native of Colombia who came to the United States via Costa Rica, listened to a translator while Judge Barrasse summed up how Mr. Montoya slipped into the girl's bedroom, locked the door and assaulted her so savagely she later required surgery.
"It's incomprehensible to think such a man exists," said Gene Talerico, the first assistant District Attorney who prosecuted the case.
Some people in the courtroom packed with teary-eyed family members clapped when Mr. Montoya was led back to prison. Mr. Montoya pleaded no contest in October to raping a child and causing serious injuries, as well as aggravated assaulted and burglary.
After the sentencing hearing, the girl's parents held an impromptu press conference at the Lackawanna County Courthouse.
"It's never going to be a chapter that's closed," said Chris Bates, her father. He sighed with relief when he heard the sentence and realized "he's never going to be out another day in his life."
"At least we know no one else will have to go through this," Mr. Bates said.
Some good has grown out of what Mr. Talerico called "the most brutal, most heinous" case "we've seen in this county" and Mr. Talerico and the girl's parents were eager to talk about it after the sentencing.
As a way to help treat children victimized by physical and sexual abuse, the girl's parents have launched "Marley's Mission," a private, nonprofit corporation based on a farm in Honesdale that provides equine therapy for children.
Thirteen horses have been donated for treating children at the 86-acre farm.
April Loposky, the mother of the rape victim, said they got the idea to form the group when they saw the positive changes a horse called Strawberry had on their daughter.
"She got her composure back," Mr. Loposky said. More information on the group is available at marleysmission.info.
Mr. Montoya was arrested by Taylor police after the girl's parents found him hiding under their daughter's bed.
He had shown up hours earlier at the family's Fourth of July party in Taylor by way of a friend who had been invited.
Mr. Montoya, who had been drinking heavily and smoking marijuana throughout the day, was asked to leave the party because he was "falling down drunk." He was last seen stumbling across the street to a friend's house.
No one noticed that he later returned, obstensibly to use the bathroom at the house.
At the end of the night, the girl's parents went to check on her but her bedroom door was locked. About two minutes later, the door opened and their daughter ran from the room. Mr. Montoya was found semi-nude under her bed and held until the police arrived.
The child molester would not have made it out the door alive. And it would have been justified self defense.
I would have killed him with my bare hands.
I would enjoy being the guy who releases this SC-M B-G into “general population”!
Fifty years ago, in certain parts of the country, this scumbag would have never made it to the jail.
He would have been shot trying to escape.
We’re more civilized now. Or are we?
Illegal immigrant?
High on drugs, alcohol and what not, eh?
Well, one more psychopath who loves his style. This guy has worse intentions than he even can conceive himself. He needs to be rid of.
Deserves repeating.
We need the death penalty for these creeps
For raping a 5 year old, life plus 1000 years would be too light.
An appropriate sentence would be to live the rest of his life in an 6 ft diameter concrete hole, 15 feet deep with 1/2 inch of water covering the floor.
Agree. If I caught an sob that did something like that to my daughter, he would be dismembered alive with an acetylene torch, over a very looong period of time. Hell, I may even let him recover from some of the wounds before starting again. Does that make me a sick bastard?
Let’s see. A man who rapes a 5 year old vs the man who tortured him to death for raping a 5 year old. Which one is the sick b@st@rd? I would vote the rapist.
Keeping him in prison 20 years after he’s dead sounds interesting. Will they waste a bunk or will they stash him on a shelf?
Even living in NJ with it’s stupid laws I don’t think I could have let this guy live. He would have been found in the pine barrens, with the parts of his body in different locations.
Oh yeah, I would be laughing maniacally as I strangled this child rapist animal to death with my bare hands...
Bingo! We just keep punishing ourselves for 20-40. Rope is cheap and reusable.
No.
Another heinous crime committed by an Illegal immigrant!
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