On April 5, 2010, Tulare County Superior Court Judge Joseph Kalashian imposed a prison sentence of 48 years in prison on 41-year-old Juan Loza Murrillo of Dinuba for sex crimes committed on four girls in Dinuba. The victims were assaulted when they were between six and thirteen years of age. Three of the girls had been assaulted on multiple occasions, sporadically between 2002 and 2008. The children were hesitant to come forward with their accounts of the assault until they realized that the defendant confessed to inappropriate sexual contact.

The defendant pled no contest to eight counts of forcible lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 on March 5, 2010, before Superior Court Judge Patrick O’Hara. As a result of the plea, the defendant is now convicted of eight strike offenses and will be required to serve 85% of that sentence before being eligible for parole. His parole can last up to 5 years. The defendant was also ordered to pay a $5,000 restitution fine, to register as a sex offender under Penal Code section 290, to submit to AIDS testing under Penal Code section 1202.1, and to provide DNA samples under Penal Code section 296.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Bethany M. Gilliland and investigated by Detective Eric Trevino of the Dinuba Police Department, as well as Investigator Gregg White of the District Attorney’s Office.

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