Staff Report
SAN MARCOS — Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins announced that 50-year-old Jaime Espericueta of Liberty Hill was sentenced to 75 years in prison Feb. 23.
On Nov. 24, 2025, a jury found Jaime Espericueta guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child. The evidence at trial showed that Jaime Espericueta sexually abused two different children over several years.
Espericueta elected to have his punishment determined by the judge instead of a jury.
After the jury found Espericueta guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child, the punishment hearing occurred Feb. 23, 2026. At this hearing, a third victim testified that Espericueta had also abused her when she was a child. State prosecutors presented additional evidence of the traumatic effects of sexual abuse.
After hearing the evidence, Judge Alicia Key of the 483rd District Court of Hays County sentenced Espericueta to 75 years in prison. Under the law applicable to the case, the defendant is not eligible for parole.
This case was prosecuted by assistant criminal district attorneys Elizabeth Schmidt and Miranda Ebersole.
“This was a case where the defendant spent years hiding his crimes of sexual abuse, often hiding behind his own family members for protection. The bravery of the survivors in this case to speak out about the abuse and stand up to the defendant in court was inspiring. This case is a warning to other abusers that even though years go by, we will still hold them accountable for the abuse they inflict on children,” said Ebersole.
