On March 16, 2010, Superior Court Judge Gerald Sevier sentenced 62-year-old Luis Aldana Gonzalez, Sr. of Ivanhoe to 195 years to life in prison for molesting two female family members. The children were approximately 8 years old and 11 years old when the defendant started molesting them a number of years ago.

At sentencing the girls expressed their desire for the defendant to receive the maximum sentence. One victim, in her statement to the court, expressed the following about the defendant, “Those hands—who knew how much damage they could do? Those lips—who knew what lies they could whisper. As I sit here today, wondering how I ever gathered enough strength to tell the truth, I’ve come to the conclusion that it was because no one deserves to be put through what I was put through. What you’ve done has scarred me for life. I will never be the same. I will never be able to take my innocence back. My parents will never have their little girl back.”

In addition to the prison sentence, the Court imposed a $7,000 restitution fine and ordered the defendant to have no further contact with either victim. The defendant must submit to an AIDS test pursuant to Penal Code section 1202.1, and if ever released from prison, he must register as a sex offender pursuant to Penal Code section 290. As a result of the guilty verdict, the defendant has 13 strike offenses on his record.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Bethany M. Gilliland and investigated by Detective Rodney Klassen of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department and Investigator Gregg White of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.

Contact Person: Assistant District Attorney, Shani D. Jenkins, (559) 733-6411.