‘Devoutly religious’ man sentenced to over 100 years for molesting young relatives

[Jim Burton]

https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-new ... 102-years/

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday that a man who molested several different nieces over many years has been sentenced to 102 years to life in prison.

Joaquin Ruiz, 45, was considered a devoutly religious individual who was reportedly known as “the perfect man” among his family. Over the course of several years, Ruiz molested five nieces between the ages of 5 and 16, according to the DA’s Office.

A jury in August found him guilty on 18 counts of sex abuse against a child, including forcible lewd acts, possession of child sexual abuse material and several other counts.

Due to Ruiz’s seemingly devout status, when the first victim came forward, her parents and Ruiz’s wife did not believe her, causing the victim to reportedly recant her disclosure and even apologize to her abuser, according to the DA’s Office.

When a second niece came forward about Ruiz, the girl’s mother and sister reportedly kept the disclosure a secret for months until they confronted Ruiz and his wife at a park. The confrontation became so intense that police were called to the scene, which ultimatley kickstarted the child abuse investigation.