A Belvidere man who was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Woodstock, a claim he has denied, was sentenced Friday to 36 years in prison.
Jesus Zepeda, 59, who was found guilty in December on two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, each a Class X felony, will be about 88 when released.
Prosecutors said Zepeda took the child to various parks in Woodstock and sexually assaulted her in his vehicle. The abuse occurred when she was between the ages of 7 and 9. They said he also made her watch “pornographic videos on his cellphone.”
In closing arguments, prosecutors described the girl’s allegations as “a nightmare.” She was 12 when she took the stand in December and testified against Zepeda, made as “a nightmare.”
McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Shelby Page said Zepeda began grooming and sexually abusing the girl when he would show her pornography and masturbate in front of her. He then would take her shopping and buy her toys, as well as a tablet. When her stepmother took the tablet away, he bought her another one, Page said.
But Zepeda’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Matthew Feda, sought to poke holes in the state’s case. The defense attorney told jurors there was no investigation, results from a sexual assault examination were not presented and there was no physical evidence. He also said there were problems with the timeline, and that it “does not line up.”
Feda said the girl’s story “is a real nightmare. It’s horrific. But it’s only a story.”
Zepeda is required to serve 85% of his prison term, followed by three years to natural life of mandatory supervised release. He gets credit for time served in McHenry County jail since Oct. 26, 2024, prosecutors said.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese commended the courage of the victim in this case for reporting this abuse and for facing her abuser and testifying at trial.
“It is our honor to seek justice on behalf of such a brave child,” Freese said in a news release. “While no sentence can undo the harm done, we are relieved that this predator will be incarcerated until long after this child is a grown adult.”
Freese added she thanks the Child Advocacy Center “for their ongoing commitment in ensuring that the voices of child victims be heard.” She also thanked Woodstock Police Department, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and prosecutors Page and Elizabeth Vonau.