75 Years For Repeat Child Rapist

CONROE, TX -- A Conroe man who drugged and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to seventy-five years in prison by a Montgomery County jury after trial in the 221st District Court, the Honorable Lisa Michalk presiding. The jury found Anthony Frank Penna, 39, guilty on Thursday, December 16, 2021, of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. During the punishment hearing, the jury learned that Penna had been adjudicated as a juvenile for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child under 14 involving the molestation of a six-year-old family member. Penna will be eligible for parole in 2051.

Assistant District Attorneys Chris Seufert and Rob Freyer proved that Penna called the victim on October 20, 2019, to invite her to his house. While at his house, Penna and his wife gave the victim a glass of clear liquid and marijuana. Shortly after ingesting the substances, the victim began to feel sick, fell over, and became semi-conscious, losing her ability to move or speak. Moments later, the victim testified that she heard the click of the door locking, after which Penna removed her pants, sexually assaulted her, then forced her to change clothing. The victim told her father what had happened, went to the hospital for a sexual assault exam, and reported the incident to the Conroe Police Department. The jury heard testimony regarding the presence of Penna's DNA in samples collected during the sexual assault exam.

At trial, the defense argued that the victim had planted the Defendant's sperm inside of her body, characterizing her and her testimony as not worthy of belief. The jury quickly rejected those arguments and found the Defendant guilty of the offense of Aggravated Sexual Assault in less than one hour.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Penna had previously grabbed the buttocks of an unsuspecting 15-year-old girl at a graduation party in 2017. When the girl's mother confronted Penna about his behavior, Penna and his wife assaulted the mother and her friend. During the punishment phase of the trial, the jury also heard evidence that Penne had sodomized a 6-year-old male family member when he was 15 years old. Despite being eligible for probation, the jury rendered a seventy-five year sentence.

Assistant District Attorneys Rob Freyer: 'This Defendant thought he could get away with rape by calling his victim a liar. He ran into a wall of evidence, and the jury saw right through him. He'll have about 75 years to think what he did.'

District Attorney Brett Ligon: 'Trials in child sexual abuse cases take a heavy toll on the victim. The Defendant called his victim a liar repeatedly. I call her a hero. I arn awed by her strength and courage. The jury saw who the real liar was, and they sent him to prison for the rest of life.'