Nueces County Stepfather Sentenced to 55 Years for Continuous Sexual Abuse and Assault of a Child

In a Nueces County courthouse, Lowell Williams received a combined sentence of 55 years after a jury found him guilty of continuous sexual abuse and assault of a child. According to the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Williams was sentenced to 40 years for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child and an additional 15 years for Sexual Assault of a Child, with the jury mandating the sentences be served sequentially.

The victim, now 18 years old, courageously reported the abuse in February 2021, alleging that Williams, her stepfather, assailed her for over a decade. Throughout the trial, the victim described over 20 instances of sexual assault. Detective Pete Ybarra and specialists from the Department of Public Safety Crime Lab provided insight into the accumulation of evidence in the home, with their testimony laying out a harrowing pattern of abuse.

Prosecutors Elizabeth Mireles and Erika Hime from the Texas Attorney General's office worked the case at the invitation of Nueces County District Attorney James Granberry. During the trial, experts like Holly Felts and Penny Green shed light on the profound impact of trauma on the brain and the complex dynamics of child abuse, speaking to the extensive ramifications of Williams' actions.

In recognition of the verdict and ensuing sentence, Attorney General Ken Paxton praised the Corpus Christi Police Department for their investigative work, and the Nueces County jurors, who, in his view, delivered a resolute declaration that child exploitation is inexcusable in the state. "Crimes against children will not be tolerated in Texas," Paxton stated, as noted by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.