HOUSTON – A Houston man was sentenced to 55 years in prison after being convicted for his role in the gang rape 18 years ago of a Port Arthur woman who was in town for the rodeo, prosecutors said Friday.
Wilber Ulises Molina, 38, was sentenced by a jury Thursday after being convicted following a four-day trial.
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It was a Sunday night in February 2000 when the woman was carjacked at gunpoint, blindfolded and driven to a field, where she was raped by four men, including Molina.
Before leaving her in her Acura sedan, the woman’s attackers put the vehicle up on blocks and stole her wheels and rims.
Molina did not testify in the trial and has refused to reveal the identities of the others involved in the attack, authorities said in a news release Friday.
A nurse testified in the trial that the victim’s injuries were the worst she’d seen in more than 500 rape victims she’s attended to in her career.
In 2013, Molina was convicted of aggravated assault in a road-rage incident and sentenced to five years in prison. At that time, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice collected his DNA, as it does with all new prisoners. It was pushed through a database and later determined to be a match to the tune of 1 in 3.9 quadrillion, authorities said.
The victim, who returned to Houston to testify against Molina, said she had found peace with the attack, but had advice for other victims.
“The most important thing is the healing,” she said. “Regardless of whether they get caught or not, heal yourself and the rest will happen as it should.”
Assistant Harris County District Attorney Christopher Handley said the Sex Crimes Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office is committed to delivering justice for victims and the community.
“Justice delayed will not be justice denied,” Handley said. “To the perpetrators of these horrific crimes, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and you will spend many years in prison. … When we find you, you will end up like Wilber Molina.”