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Galleria Rapist Sentenced To Prison

Solis Fined $10,000

POSTED: Friday, June 2, 2006
UPDATED: 4:56 pm CDT June 2, 2006

Jurors sentenced a man known as the Galleria Rapist to 80 years in prison Friday, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Juan Reyes Solis, 23, was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault Thursday. Jurors handed down the punishment at about 3:30 p.m. Friday after three hours of deliberations. In addition to prison, Solis was fined $10,000.

In August 2003, Solis kidnapped a 19-year-old Galleria employee as she walked to her car in a parking garage, then took her to a remote location and raped her.

In court, the victim told Solis that she hoped prison would show him no mercy, just as he showed her no mercy.

"I want you to be bitter and angry just like I am. Every single day I feel this way because of the choice you made to harm me. And now I want you to be bitter and angry," said the victim, who was not identified. "You have no conscious and no soul. They only thing you may regret is being caught and punished."

Solis listened calmly, sometimes smiling.

"After that victim impact statement, he went back in the holdover (cell) -- he had teared up a little bit. I think reality is setting in," defense attorney Mark Thering said.

"He is cold and ruthless. He just proved that in the courtroom by sitting there stone-faced -- doesn't care about a thing," prosecutor Wendy Baker said.

The victim's father said his daughter will never forgive Solis.

"There's times I blame myself for not being there and it's very hard," the father said.

The family vows to fight when Solis is eligible for parole in 30 years.

"If I still have a breath left in me, I will be there to fight it because I will live with this for the rest of my life. When I'm 102, I will still be living with this and now so will you," the victim said.

The now-21-year-old is suing the Galleria as well as the company that provided security the day of her attack.

Solis faced between five years and life in prison.

He will not be eligible for probation because of past convictions of burglary and criminal mischief.

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