Ex-Texas middle school teacher sentenced to 33 years for sexually abusing 13-year-old student
The victim told jurors the abuse cost him his friendships, his sense of self and nearly his life
A former Texas middle school teacher was sentenced to more than three decades in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing a 13-year-old student.
A Webb County jury sentenced Adriana Rullan, 30, to 33 years in prison after finding her guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child younger than 14.
Jurors also sentenced her to 10 years for indecency with a child by sexual contact and 13 years for an improper relationship between an educator and a student. The sentences will run concurrently, and Rullan was also ordered to pay $20,000 in fines.
The verdict followed a two-day trial in the 341st District Court, during which prosecutors presented testimony from six witnesses and dozens of exhibits, including text messages, photographs and video recordings.
During the sentencing phase, the victim, who was 13 at the time of the abuse, told jurors the abuse cost him his friendships, his sense of self and nearly his life, according to KGNS.
The victim's mother also addressed the jury, blaming Rullan for her son's depression and anxiety and describing the emotional toll the abuse had taken on their family. She told jurors Rullan was manipulative and should never be allowed to harm another child, according to KGNS.
The jury returned guilty verdicts after deliberating for less than two hours, according to the Webb County District Attorney's Office.
According to the district attorney's office, the investigation began Nov. 27, 2023, after the victim's parents contacted the United Independent School District Police Department with allegations of an inappropriate relationship between a student and a teacher at Gonzalez Middle School in Laredo.
A forensic examination of the victim's cellphone recovered electronic communications documenting the relationship and provided significant evidence supporting the charges, a spokesperson for the Webb County District Attorney's Office told People.
Rullan was arrested the following month and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
It was not immediately clear whether Rullan intends to appeal.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Webb County District Attorney's Office for additional comment and court records and the United Independent School District for comment but did not immediately receive responses.
Brittany Miller is a Fox News Digital breaking news writer and former Independent reporter who graduated from Syracuse University in 2023.
