HOUSTON – A 33-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl, the United States Department of Justice announced Monday.
Wilmer Rivera-Hernandez pleaded guilty to interstate travel with intent to engage in a sex act with a minor on Aug. 24.
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At the hearing, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said the court heard additional information, including a statement from the victim discussing her transformation from a “young, innocent girl” into someone who “feels anger, pain, guilt, numbness, depression and humiliation.”
Hamdani said that what Rivera-Hernandez did was “reprehensible” and he should not be allowed to walk among civilized people.
Rivera-Hernandez was further ordered to serve the rest of his life on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet, the DOJ said. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“Words cannot describe the damage Rivera-Hernandez did after he kidnapped and raped a 15-year-old child,” Hamdani said. “His loathsome and abhorrent actions deserve the stiffest punishment. As the father of a 15-year-old girl myself, I am thankful every day for local, state and federal law enforcement. And in this case for the coordinated efforts of the brave men and women of Montgomery County, Texas, and Knox County, Tennessee, who were able to save a child from a monster’s grasp.”
In June 2020, Rivera-Hernandez took a 15-year-old girl on what was supposed to be a date but investigators said it quickly “turned into a nightmare.” After the girl realized he was just driving around, she asked him to take her home but refused. Instead, authorities said Rivera-Hernandez grabbed the girl by the head, strangled her, threatened both her and her family’s safety, seized her phone and then forced her to drink alcohol and take medicine to make her drowsy and unable to resist him. He then drove her from Houston to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he reportedly took her to a motel and raped her. The next day, investigators said he began driving her through Arkansas and into Tennessee.
After his indictment and arrest, Rivera-Hernandez also allegedly arranged the creation and delivery of fabricated WhatsApp messages acting like the victim. In these messages, investigators said Rivera-Hernandez made it appear as if the minor had recanted her claims of kidnapping and rape and that she was always in love with him.
“By having these messages delivered to the prosecution, Rivera-Hernandez hoped it would lead to the dismissal of his charges,” a news release from the DOJ stated. “A thorough investigation, however, quickly revealed the messages were fake and that Rivera-Hernandez attempted to obstruct justice.”
Rivera-Hernandez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the future.