NEW MEXICO
ABQ Journal
By Bill Rodgers / Journal Staff Writer
on Fri, Sep 21, 2012
Parents brought their sons to a church program hoping that they would grow in their faith, but the boys instead got the “nightmare of their lives,” said state District Court Judge Michael Vigil.
Vigil heard from two families whose young boys were sexually abused by 36-year-old Anthony Martinez of Santa Fe while he was a youth program volunteer at Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Church. The father of one victim told Vigil his son, a “loving child with much faith in the Lord,” went from being a good student and athlete to being withdrawn, depressed and suicidal because of Martinez’s actions.
Before sentencing Martinez to the maximum 15-year penalty available under a plea deal for two different sex crime cases, Vigil told the families that he hopes their children can heal.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.