Jury to Deliberate in Case of Man Who Allegedly Abused 5-Year-Old Niece

A jury may soon decide the fate of a Union City man accused of sexually abusing his 5-year-old niece more than 10 years ago, according to the Oakland Tribune. 

Alejandro Amezcua, 27, faces eight felony counts of committing a lewd act on a child under 14, along with three counts of aggravated sexual assault.

According to the Tribune, Prosecutors believe Amezcua abused the girl on numerous occasions inside of a Union City apartment when he was 16.

The victim, now 16, appeared in court earlier this month and detailed the alleged acts, which included being forced to watch pornography and re-enact what she saw, the Tribune reports.

Authorities learned of the incident in 2011 after the girl mentioned the abuse to a school nurse. As part of the investigation, Union City police recorded a conversation between the victim and Amezcua in which they discussed the alleged abuse. According to the Tribune, Amezcua told the girl during the recording not to tell anyone about the incidents “because you’ll get everyone in trouble.”

But Amezcua’s attorney argued Wednesday that there was no physical evidence to prove that Amezcua committed an act of rape or sodomy and questioned if the victim had made up the story.

Read the full Oakland Tribune story here.