NEW BOSTON, Texas-A Bowie County grand jury handed down two life sentences plus 20 years Thursday for a New Boston man who repeatedly molested a 9-year-old relative in 2013.
Assistant District Attorneys Kelley Crisp and Lauren Richards elicited testimony from an 11-year-old girl concerning the abuse she suffered at Harrell's hands when she was visiting his home as a 9-year-old. Harrell sexually assaulted the girl and forced her to watch pornography on his computer, Crisp said.
Under questioning from Texarkana lawyer Butch Dunbar, Harrell claimed he couldn't have abused the girl because medications he takes for Hepatitis C, diabetes, high blood pressure and Herpes cause him to be impotent. Crisp said 5th District Judge Bill Miller ruled that testimony from other alleged victims could be heard by the jury to rebut the defense's assertion of impotence.
Two girls who lived across the street from Harrell in 2011, when they were 9 and 10 years old, testified that Harrell behaved inappropriately with them on multiple occasions when he would babysit. Crisp said the former neighbor of Harrell's who was 9 in 2011 testified that Harrell forced her to watch pornography and that he exposed himself to her one day while the two sat in his car in her school's parking lot.
"Donald Harrell preys on little girls and subjected them to things they will unfortunately take with them the rest of their lives," Richards said. "With their verdicts, the jury gave teh victims some closure and made certain he will never have access to little girls again, and for that all of the citizens of Bowie County can be thankful."
Crisp said the jury of eight women and four men deliberated less than 30 minutes before deciding Harrell's punishment.
"Donald Harrell, in sexually assaulting this 9-year-old girl, also exposed her to the two sexually transmitted diseases he carried," Crisp said. "Another 9-year-old girl testified that Harrell asked her to leave her door unlocked so that he could visit her at night. For his deviant and disgusting behavior the jury rightly judged that a life sentence was warranted and Bowie County is a safer place because of their verdict."