A Denton man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a Collin County jury handed down a 50-year sentence with no chance of parole for the continuous sexual abuse of a severely autistic child. Marty Duwayne Griego, 52, received the mandatory term under Texas law. Prosecutors said the abuse lasted for roughly a year and only surfaced when another child witnessed an assault and reported it to authorities.
Prosecutors Called Him A Serial Predator
The Collin County District Attorney's Office, in a post on social media, described Griego as a "serial predator" who exploited a relationship with the victim's family to gain access to the child, according to the Collin County Criminal District Attorney's Office. District Attorney Greg Willis said, "A serial predator who preyed on a severely disabled child will never walk free again. This 50-year, no-parole sentence delivers the justice our most vulnerable victims deserve."
How Investigators Built The Case
The victim underwent a medical exam that yielded DNA evidence linking Griego to the abuse and later gave a detailed account in a forensic interview at the Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County, according to CBS Texas. Plano Police Detective Catherine Foreman led the investigation. Prosecutors told jurors the abuse went on for about a year, ended when the victim was 15, and included incidents in Plano, Carrollton, and Corpus Christi.
Conviction And Sentence
A Collin County jury found Griego guilty on April 22 and set his punishment at 50 years in prison, according to the Collin County District Attorney's Office. During the punishment phase, jurors heard additional evidence that prosecutors said tied Griego to the abuse of another child and to a separate sexual assault reported by an adult after his arrest.
What The Law Says
Under Texas law, continuous sexual abuse of a young child or disabled individual is a first-degree felony with a punishment range of 25 to 99 years or life in prison. The statute also sharply restricts parole eligibility for convictions under §21.02, according to the Texas Penal Code. That framework explains why prosecutors sought, and jurors imposed, a 50-year sentence with no possibility of parole.
Prosecution Team And Victim Support
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Jean-Marie Anderson and Wendy Correa, with support from District Attorney Investigator Greg Bowers and Victim Assistance Coordinator Melissa White, according to the Collin County District Attorney's Office. Judge Rayburn Nall presided over the trial. Prosecutors said the lengthy sentence is aimed at protecting other vulnerable people who could be targeted by similar offenders.
