A Parker County jury has permanently locked away a Weatherford man after hearing chilling testimony about years of child sexual abuse that stretched across state lines.
Last Friday, jurors convicted 36-year-old Darrell Eugene Read of continuous sexual abuse of a young child and indecency with a child by contact, then ordered him to serve consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. The victim, now a teenager, testified that the abuse took place in homes and motels in Texas and Arkansas over six years.
Jury hands down sentence
According to FOX 4, jurors deliberated for roughly two hours before returning guilty verdicts, then spent about 25 minutes deciding punishment. Along with the two life sentences, the court assessed a $10,000 fine and ordered that the terms run consecutively rather than at the same time.
Victim testimony and prosecutor response
The victim described years of abuse across Texas and Arkansas, jurors heard. Read took the stand in his own defense but offered no explanation for the accusations.
District Attorney Jeff Swain told FOX 4 that the jury’s verdicts ensure that a repeat child abuser will never again breathe free air, adding that Read’s life sentences carry no chance of parole.
Background: earlier arrest in 2012
A Parker County Sheriff’s Office press release shows Read was arrested in June 2012 after a 9-month-old was admitted to Cook Children’s Medical Center with multiple bruises that deputies described as "non accidental trauma." That earlier investigation led to charges at the time and is part of the defendant’s public record.
What the law says
Under the Texas Penal Code, continuous sexual abuse of a young child is a first-degree felony that carries a punishment range of 25 years to life in prison. Indecency with a child by contact is charged separately under state law and carries its own punishment range. Those statutes form the legal framework for Read’s convictions and sentences.
County context
Parker County prosecutors have recently pushed for maximum penalties in child abuse cases, a trend reflected in prior local coverage. Hoodline documented a separate case where judges also imposed back-to-back life terms, highlighting the county’s tough stance.
Officials did not immediately offer further comment beyond the district attorney’s statement to the media. Read will be held by the state to begin serving the sentence ordered by the court.
