EAST BAY, CA — A Contra Costa County judge sentenced former Richmond pastor Emilio Alberto Esperanza-Pacheco to 120 years to life, plus life without the possibility of parole, closing a prosecution built around abuse, betrayal and a child’s testimony that brought down a trusted religious figure.
A jury convicted Esperanza-Pacheco in February on five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 and 10 counts of forcible lewd acts on a child tied to abuse that prosecutors said unfolded over months in 2023.
Jurors also found he committed a forcible lewd act during a first-degree residential burglary, a finding that triggered the no-parole sentence under California law.
Prosecutors said Esperanza-Pacheco used his role at God’s Lighthouse of Truth Church in Richmond and his friendship with the victim’s family to gain access to the child and suppress disclosure. Authorities said the victim eventually told her parents, leading Richmond police to arrest him in October 2023.
Judge Danielle Douglas cited multiple aggravating factors in imposing the sentence. The first was when Esperanza-Pacheco broke into the victim’s home with the intent to commit sexual assault, according to a statement from the district attorney's office. Under California law, a forcible sex crime committed against a child under 14 during a first-degree burglary carries a penalty of life without the possibility of parole.
The second set involved three additional factors. First, the victim was particularly vulnerable. Second, Esperanza-Pacheco took advantage of his position of trust as a pastor and trusted family friend to gain access to the victim and carry out the abuse. Third, the defendant engaged in violent conduct indicating a serious danger to society, according to the district attorney's office.
District Attorney Diana Becton said the sentence ensures Esperanza-Pacheco will not be able to harm another child and expressed hope the outcome brings some measure of peace to the victim and her family.
“It is our hope that the victim and her family find some measure of peace and closure," Becton said in a statement. "The bravery the young victim showed by speaking up has led to an outcome where an abuser who exploited his position of trust will not have the opportunity to harm another child again.”
MORE: Pastor Convicted Of Child Sexual Assault
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