Emilio Alberto Esperanza-Pacheco, a former pastor at God’s Lighthouse of Truth Church in Richmond, has been sentenced to 120 years to life plus life without the possibility of parole for repeatedly sexually assaulting a child parishioner and breaking into the girl’s home to commit the abuse.
The sentencing follows his conviction on Feb. 4 for five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 and 10 counts of forcible lewd acts. The jury also found that the defendant committed a forcible lewd act during a first-degree residential burglary between June 1, 2023, and Oct. 14, 2023.
The evidence presented during the trial showed that Esperanza-Pacheco used his authority as a pastor and his personal friendship with the victim’s family to gain access to the child and pressure her not to disclose the assaults, according to prosecutors. The legal process began when the victim found the courage to tell her parents, leading to the defendant’s arrest by Richmond police on Oct. 14, 2023. Esperanza-Pacheco remained in jail for the duration of the criminal proceedings.
Judge Danielle Douglas based the strict sentence on several aggravating factors, including the fact that the he broke into the child’s home with the intent to assault her. Under California law, committing a forcible sex crime against a child under 14 during a first-degree burglary carries a mandatory term of life without the possibility of parole. The judge also noted that the victim was particularly vulnerable and that the defendant took advantage of his position of trust to engage in violent conduct that posed a serious danger to society.
“It is our hope that the victim and her family find some measure of peace and closure,” said District Attorney Diana Becton. “The bravery the young victim showed by speaking up has led to an outcome where an abuser who exploited his position of trust will not have the opportunity to harm another child again.”