Lubbock man who sexually abused girls for decades sentenced to 45 years

A 46-year-old man was sentenced last week to 45 years in prison without parole after admitting to a decades-long history of sexually abusing children.

Paul Alcorta, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since September 2020, pleaded guilty to a count of continuous sexual abuse of a child in the 137th District Court. The indictment listed two victims, who court records describe as Alcorta's relatives.

Continuous sexual abuse of a child carries a punishment of 25 years to life in prison without parole.

He was initially charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony that carries a punishment of five years to life in prison.

However, in Nov. 21, prosecutors obtained an indictment against Alcorta for the continuous sexual abuse of a child charge. He was set to stand trial on Dec. 12.

"Through the course of our investigation, it became apparent that there had been multiple victims over a long period of time," said Prosecutor Cara Landers. "Close to 16 years worth of abuse."

Had the case gone to trial, prosecutors planned to present jurors with digital evidence that showed Alcorta sexually abused two sisters and at least two of their friends, whom he lured to his home with alcohol and drugs, according to court documents.

He also bribed them with gifts including money, clothes and makeup in exchange for sexual acts, court documents state.

Landers said a 45-year prison sentence ensures that Alcorta will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

"A sentence of this magnitude without the possibility of parole at his age, strikes a balance that achieves the justice for the victims, giving them the peace of mind to know that he will not be able to be out anytime soon while also sparing them the trauma of testifying at trial," she said.

Alcorta's charge stems from a Lubbock police investigation arising from a May 13, 2020 sexual assault report.

A responding officer met with the girls' mother who said her 13-year-old daughter told her that Alcorta sexually assaulted her in January of that year, according to an arrest warrant.

The girl's mother said her daughter had been unusually withdrawn the last few days and hardly came out of her room. She said she became suspicious of Alcorta's behavior around the girl, saying he'd been drinking more around her and making the girl drink, the warrant states.

The girl told the officer that Alcorta called her into his bedroom two days earlier and raped her. The abuse stopped when another her older sister walked in on the assault and began attacking Alcorta, the warrant states.

However, investigators would learn that the abuse began earlier in the year.

According to the warrant, the girl told a forensic interviewer Alcorta offered her $100 in January in exchange for sex. The sexual abuse continued after that. The girl said she was abused 15 times, the warrant states.

"After a while I just got used to it," the girl told the interviewer. "I didn't have the guts to tell anyone."

During her interview with detectives, the girl's older sister also made an outcry accusing Alcorta of raping and sexually assaulting her when she was younger.

She said the abuse at Alcorta's hands started when she was 5 or 6 years old. When she entered the fifth grade, he began raping her, the warrant states.

She said once Alcorta punished her for being in a relationship with a boy by making her film herself performing a sexual act and distributing the video. He then drove her to the home of a boy while she was naked, made her ring the doorbell and left her.

She said she believed Alcorta sexually abused her hundreds of times.

The older sister told detectives that Alcorta has tried contacting her through newly created social media accounts, the warrant states. She said Alcorta also left her a note saying he was sorry for everything.

She said she tore up one of the letters Alcorta sent her but brought one in which he apologized to her and begged her to let him into her life, saying "we had more good times than bad."

The plea deal came together swiftly Wednesday and the girls and their mother confronted Alcorta in court and described the impact of his actions.

"They responded with significantly more strength and grace than I think any other person in the world could have done," Landers said. "I could not imagine being in their shoes and saying what they said under the circumstances."

Alcorta's attorney, Charles Blevins, said the plea deal was an appropriate resolution to the case.

"This was a tough case for everyone, especially the victims," he said. "While we represent our clients to the fullest we also have to recognize what is in the best interest in each individual case and ultimately in this case it was a plea."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Man sentenced after admitting to sexually abusing girls for decades