Omar Hernandez Lopez, 25, of Alexandria, was sentenced on a three count indictment relating to four years of his ongoing sexual abuse of a child, starting when the child was 5 years old. The abuse only stopped when the defendant moved away from the home that he shared with the child. The child did not immediately disclose the abuse out of fear of the defendant. However, two years after the abuse ended, and after struggling with serious mental health issues, the child disclosed the abuse to the child's mother.
Specifically, the defendant was convicted of the following three charges: Aggravated sexual battery, rape of a child under the age of 13 by a person over the age of 18, and rape of a child under the age of 13 by a person at least 3 years older than the child.
The defendant was sentenced to a mandatory term of life in prison on the second count, with an additional 40 years of active prison time on the other two counts.
The case was investigated by Detective Kevin Thomas of the Alexandria Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Section, Special Victims Unit, with the assistance of the Center for Alexandria’s Children and the support of mental health providers from the Community Services Board. Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jessica Smith and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Audra O’Brien prosecuted the matter on behalf of the Commonwealth.
In a statement, Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter said: “My thoughts are with the victim of these horrendous crimes, who showed an amazing amount of courage in reporting the abuse to authorities. The sentence imposed in this case sends the unmistakable message that this community will not tolerate violence against children. By securing a life sentence, my office has delivered the appropriate punishment and has ensured that this predator will not be able to victimize other children.
“It is my sincere hope that in this sentence the victim will find some small degree of closure and that the process of healing can begin. I would like to thank the Alexandria Police Department for the outstanding investigation conducted by its detectives. The significant sentence in this case should put sex offenders on notice that the Alexandria Police Department and Commonwealth's Attorney's Office will zealously investigate and prosecute crimes of sexual violence against children."
The defendant is currently in custody in the William G. Truesdale Alexandria Adult Detention Center, awaiting transfer to the Department of Corrections.