LUBBOCK, Texas — Marcos Edward Barrios, 49, of Lubbock County was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison for continuous sexual abuse of a child.
In 2017, two girls – ages 13 and 11 – came forward with allegations that Barrios touched them inappropriately.
“Deputies collected sheets from the girl’s bedroom which were later tested by the DPS Crime Laboratory. Barrios’ semen was present on the sheets,” prosecutors said.
The same jury that convicted Barrios this week also decided his punishment.
“The jury’s 28-minute guilt/innocence verdict and 8-minute life punishment verdict speaks volumes for how our community views sexual predators,” prosecutors said in a written statement.
The following is a statement from the office of Lubbock County Criminal District Attorney:
In May 2017, a 13-year-old girl came forward to her mother that her stepfather, Marcus Barrios, had been sexually abusing her for years. The girl’s 11-year-old sister also outcried that Barrios had recently touched her inappropriately. The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene and began their investigation. Deputies collected sheets from the girl’s bedroom which were later tested by the DPS Crime Laboratory. Barrios’s semen was present on the sheets. Investigators Robert Escobedo and Bo Roberts interviewed Barrios who initially denied the girls’ allegations but eventually began asking for a deal and that he would “take one but not the other” of the charges. Both girls, now teenagers, testified during the trial about the acts Barrios committed.
On December 12, 2019, a jury convicted Barrios of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. After punishment evidence consisting of Barrios’s criminal history and gang involvement was presented, the jury sentenced Barrios to Life without the possibility of parole. The now 16-year-old girl gave a Victim Impact Statement in which she stated her pleasure with the verdict and that she can now live her life knowing he will have nothing inside prison walls.
“We saw two very brave girls confront their attacker this week about the heinous crimes he committed against them. The jury’s 28-minute guilt/innocence verdict and 8-minute Life punishment verdict speaks volumes for how our community views sexual predators. When the most vulnerable of our community are hurt like this, justice demands severe consequences, and the jury certainly delivered.”
Prosecutors Courtney Boyd and Laura Beth Fossett