WESTWEGO, La. (AP) - A Louisiana man convicted of raping and impregnating a 12-year-old girl has been sentenced to life in prison.
NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports that 36-year-old Jose Ivan Moreno Cervantes received the mandatory punishment for a first-degree rape conviction on Monday.
Prosecutors said Cervantes raped the girl on three occasions. He was a family acquaintance.
Authorities say a school counselor suspected the girl might be pregnant in August 2015, but the girl’s mother didn’t believe it. A doctor confirmed the child was 8 ½ months pregnant, and she gave birth to a boy in September 2015.
Prosecutors say DNA testing confirmed the boy was Cervantes’ son.
Authorities obtained a warrant for the man, who had disappeared. U.S. marshals arrested him in July 2016.
A Jefferson Parish jury found Cervantes guilty on May 1.
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Information from: The Times-Picayune, http://www.nola.com
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