A 75-year-old child molester has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 5-year-old in 2011, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Child molesters are predators, and it is crucial to seek justice in these cases to hold them accountable for their actions,” Ogg said. “This young girl’s family thought they could trust this man, but he betrayed them in the most horrific of ways.”

James Joseph King, 75, was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sentenced by a judge after a 3-day trial last week. The victim was able to give a victim impact statement on Friday after the sentencing.

King was a friend of the victim’s family and hosted family members for a party on May 8, 2011. The victim, who was 5 years old at the time, was allowed to stay overnight. After King’s wife went to bed, he lured the child into the kitchen with the promise of a sundae. While they were alone, he sexually assaulted the girl. He then tried to assault her again after she went to bed, but she pushed him off her.

In 2020, the girl, who was then 15, broke down in tears and told her mother what happened. After an investigation by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, King was arrested.

Assistant District Attorney Steven Belt and ADA Abraham Chopin, who are assigned to the DA’s Child Abuse Division, prosecuted the case.

“Our children are precious people in our community, and we wanted to send a message that no matter how long it takes to outcry, it will be taken seriously and he would be held accountable,” Belt said. “Even though it only happened once, and the defendant did not have a criminal record, he needed to face the consequences for what he did.

“Our children in Harris County are a little safer today than they were yesterday,” Chopin added.