A 53-year-old man from Orange agreed to serve 18 years in prison after a jury this week convicted him of sexual assault.
Assistant District Attorney Krispen Walker said the jury in 163rd District Court found Larry Sonnier guilty of the felony.
He was convicted of forcing his 18-year-old niece to have sex. The niece was living with him and his wife while she was going to school.
Walker said Sonnier testified the 2014 assault was consensual. However, the victim told her family the next day and reported it to police. Walker said DNA evidence gathered from a medical assault kit helped convict Sonnier. The trial had been delayed until the DNA testing had been completed.
The jury deliberated an hour on Tuesday and all day Wednesday, except for breaks, to reach the decision. Sonnier then made a plea bargain agreement for punishment with the prosecution instead of having the jury make the decision.
State District Judge Dennis Powell presided over the trial.
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