PEARLAND – Prosecutors say the brutal attack went on for more than 20 minutes back on Feb. 17, 2021.
From a brutal beatdown involving a gun to sodomy, the victim was almost killed.
One of the people responsible was handed down a hefty sentence on Tuesday, a second soon to meet her fate.
“There’s just no motive that could explain the behavior of the defendants,” said Harris County Assistant District Attorney, Ryan Volkmer. “On the night of the freeze in Houston at the Fountainhead Bar off of Ella and 1960, our victim and other friends at the bar were attacked.”
The culprits were Felix Vale and Ariel Cordoba, a couple who tried to convince the victim to pay for sex with Cordoba, but he refused.
“They broke items on him and used a gun. Shots were fired and he sustained serious life-threatening injuries,” Volkmer said.
It was a prolonged attack that lasted more than 20 minutes before officials arrived and arrested the couple.
“The barstool was used because it was broken over the head of the victim as he was there unconscious on the floor. Additionally, he was nearly kicked to death,” Volkmer said.
While the victim was unconscious, Vale who has a lengthy violent criminal history, also sodomized him.
“Sexual violence affects men, too. One in four men in this country will experience contact sexual violence in their lifetime,” said trauma therapist, Chau Nguyen. She adds that the residual effects of sexual violence are the same for men and women. “PTSD, anxiety, depression, withdrawal, isolation... so we need to talk about it and normalize these conversations.”
We’re told the attack that was caught on camera was so brutal the victim doesn’t even recall it.
Vale, 38, who was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault was sentenced to 82 years in prison. Cordoba, 31, who pleaded guilty will be sentenced later this month.
Victim advocates want men and women to know there is no shame in coming forward following a sexual assault.
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