Feb. 8, Whitney Roy Coburn, 45, of Sour Lake, was found guilty of child sex abuse and sentenced to 80 years in prison, according to an announcement by Hardin County District Attorney Rebecca Walton.
A Hardin County jury found Coburn guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact relating to the sexual abuse of a 3-year-old male. Following the guilty verdicts and jury deliberation on punishment, 356th Judicial District Judge Steve Thomas announced Coburn was sentenced to 60 years for aggravated sexual assault and 20 years for indecency with a child in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Coburn will not be eligibile for parole.
According to Walton, on Sept. 22, 2022, the 3-year-old made an outcry to his mother, stating the defendant inappropriately touched him. During the trial, jurors heard testimony from 15 witnesses, including testimony from a separate 19-year-old female victim, who detailed the sexual abuse that occurred at age 3. The jury was able to consider the testimony of both children and relatives of the defendant during the deliberation process.
“The jury sent a message to the defendant and the community that sexual abuse of children will not be tolerated in Hardin County,” Walton stated.