NEW YORK (NY)
NBC News / Telemundo
November 25, 2020
By Belisa Morillo and Luis Antonio Hernández
One accuser said Manuel La Rosa-Lopez’ upcoming sentence gives him a sense of justice, as well as hope that the Catholic Church “will change the way it does things.”
A Houston-area priest has pleaded guilty to child indecency charges in a case that has put a focus on the archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and its failures over the handling of sexual abuse cases.
The Rev. Manuel La Rosa-Lopez, 62, pleaded guilty to two out of five charges of indecency with a child Nov. 17, as part of an agreement with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. He faces 10 years in prison in the case which deals with allegations that he molested two teens more than 20 years ago after gaining the trust of their families; his sentencing is Dec. 16.
La Rosa-Lopez avoided a possible 20-year sentence with the guilty plea.
“We offered him to plead guilty on two of the greater charges, which were second-degree felonies, indecency with a child,” Montgomery County chief prosecutor Nancy Hebert told Noticias Telemundo Investiga. “In exchange for that plea, we’re dismissing the other three charges.”
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