A 73-year-old Richmond-area man was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting a child he knew and had access to, with prosecutors saying he won't be eligible for parole until he turns 103. Kevin Lynn Van Buren was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child on September 24 in Fort Bend County, and the case didn't stop there — the child's disclosure reportedly helped investigators uncover adult victims in another state who say Van Buren abused them years earlier.
A Child's Disclosure Set the Case in Motion
According to prosecutors, Van Buren sexually abused an 8-year-old child he knew and had access to, as reported by FOX 26 Houston. The child disclosed the abuse to family members, who then contacted law enforcement. Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office Detective Melissa Tobias investigated the case; Tobias, who serves in the agency's Special Crimes unit, received a Sheriff's Commendation for Meritorious Service in December 2025, according to My Neighborhood News.
As the investigation unfolded, additional adult victims came forward and told investigators that Van Buren had abused them in another state years earlier, prosecutors said. It remains unclear whether authorities in that other state or federal investigators intend to pursue separate charges tied to those historical allegations. Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton said the Richmond-area man would spend life in prison, per Sugar Land Magazine.
Why Parole Is Decades Away
Van Buren chose to let the 268th District Court's presiding judge, Steve Rogers, determine his punishment rather than leaving sentencing to the jury that convicted him. The Texas Defense Lawyer case record lists one first-degree aggravated-sexual-assault offense, with an offense date of January 29, 2023, and gives the case status as dismissed. Houston-based attorney Philip Gommels was retained to represent Van Buren throughout the proceedings.
Under Texas Penal Code Section 22.021, aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison, and it carries mandatory lifetime sex offender registration, per Carter Criminal Defense. That classification is also why parole will remain out of reach for decades. Texas Government Code Section 508.145(d) requires anyone convicted of first-degree aggravated sexual assault to serve at least half their sentence or 30 calendar years before parole consideration, and state law bars good-conduct time credits from speeding that up, according to Gunter, Bennett and Anthes. That statute is the basis for prosecutors' calculation that the 73-year-old must reach age 103 before parole is even considered.
A Judge With a Track Record in Child Abuse Cases
By waiving jury sentencing, Van Buren's defense put the outcome in the hands of a judge with a documented history of lengthy sentences in child victim cases. Rogers, elected to the 268th District Court bench in 2022, previously handed down 25-year sentences in child-abuse cases, according to the Ballotpedia record on the judge.
Melissa Muñoz said every child deserves to be safe, and that the child in this case showed extreme courage and bravery in disclosing the abuse and testifying against her abuser. Muñoz said the child's disclosure helped investigators learn about Van Buren's alleged abuse of other children. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, the largest law enforcement agency in the county, serves Fort Bend County across 885 square miles in one of the fastest-growing suburban counties in Texas, per My Neighborhood News.
Part of a Broader Pattern Locally
This case adds to a string of recent child sexual assault matters moving through Fort Bend County's court system. Hoodline previously covered a Fort Bend ISD assault claim that similarly drew attention to reporting suspected child abuse.
