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HOUSTON - One man who sexually abused three different girls since the 1970s has been sentenced to life without parole.
63-year-old Timothy Jarvis Cooley from Magnolia, Texas was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole for the continuous sexual abuse of a child from 2014-2018, says Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
During the six-day trial, the jury heard from a young child how Colley would sexually abuse her while she was in elementary school from 2014-2018. He would abuse her in multiple locations, threatened her with a knife, and told her he would harm her family if she told anybody.
"The cruelty and length of this defendant’s abuse earned him every day of this sentence. Timothy Cooley learned that in Montgomery County, survivors of child abuse stand in the light and abusers cannot remain hidden in the darkness forever," District Attorney Brett Ligon says.
According to officials, the child took the witness stand to detail multiple incidents and the circumstances of the abuse and was cross-examined with Cooley in the courtroom.
Timothy Jarvis Cooley (Photo courtesy Montgomery County District Attorney's Office)
The young girl shared with the jury how she would slowly tell people about the abuse over time. The jury also heard how the child experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In January 2019, a forensic interviewer at Children’s Safe Harbor questioned the child about the abuse.
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Detective Michael Lee was assigned to the investigation and interviewed dozens of people in Cooley's life and former acquaintances. Det. Lee discovered the man has abused two other kids in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ’00s.
"This defendant manipulated, threatened, and sexually abused young girls across three generations, and campaigned against their credibility as they each spoke up over decades apart," said Chief Prosecutor Lisa Stewart." These three brave survivors showed the jury that the truth was more powerful than any of his lies and, in doing so, they have kept the next generation of young girls safe from his abuse."
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The two victims did not know each other or the young girl. They testified in court about Cooley's threats and how he used a knife for intimidation.
The jury returned a quick guilty verdict after closing arguments. Following the verdict, the three victims finally met one another.
"This defendant manipulated, threatened, and sexually abused young girls across three generations, and campaigned against their credibility as they each spoke up over decades apart," said Chief Prosecutor Lisa Stewart." These three brave survivors showed the jury that the truth was more powerful than any of his lies and, in doing so, they have kept the next generation of young girls safe from his abuse."