FLORENCE, AZ (January 26th, 2024) - A former foster parent has been sentenced to 218 years flat time in prison for the sexual abuse of a child in his care.
On January 26th, 2024, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Francisco Medina, 53, to 218 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.
A jury found Medina guilty of six counts of Sexual Conduct with a Minor under the age of 15, all Class Two Felonies and Dangerous Crimes Against Children, and Molestation of a Child, also a Class Two Felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children.
"I hope this outcome gives the victim some small amount of closure and helps her in healing," said County Attorney Kent Volkmer. "I can't fathom what she's had to deal with, but I admire her strength and courage to hold her perpetrator accountable."
In 2020, the Tucson Police Department spoke to the victim, who is now an adult, related to past reports of sexual abuse by Medina when the victim and Medina lived in Casa Grande. The victim disclosed that she was a foster child in Medina’s care from 1996-1997, when she was around the age of eight or nine. The victim told investigators Medina entered her room at night on multiple occasions and sexually abused her.
Medina is already serving multiple life sentences in the Arizona Department of Corrections related to more than a dozen counts of Sexual Conduct with a Minor of varying degrees in Pima County. That case also involved a separate child in Medina’s care.
“Medina committed the worst kind of betrayal. Rather than providing comfort and love for these little girls entrusted to his care, he repeatedly sexually abused them,” said Deputy County Attorney Lauren Deakin. “The strength and courage they demonstrated by coming forward to law enforcement and then testifying during two trials - here and in Pima County - is admirable. My prayer is that the trial process has been empowering for both survivors, and that they know just how loved and supported they are.”
At sentencing Friday, the victim addressed the court and detailed the significant emotional hardship she has endured as a result of the abuse. She called Medina “pure evil” and credited the support of family and friends.
Medina’s sentence will run consecutively to his sentence in Pima County.
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"I hope this series gives valuable insight to those looking to better understand what we do as prosecutors, including how we evaluate cases, how we make difficult charging decisions and what the true role of a prosecutor is," Volkmer said. 