Man Sentenced To Prison After Pflugerville Sexual Assault

AUSTIN, TX — A man was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of sexual assault in Pflugerville, prosecutors said.

The man's guilt in the crime was determined the day before his sentencing, the Travis County District Attorney's Office said in a press advisory. The incident dates to Jan. 6, 2019, in a Pflugerville apartment complex, prosecutors said.

Asley Quesada-Diaz, 36, was a family friend of the victim and her family, who had assisted the man in his recent move from Cuba, prosecutors said. At around 8 a.m. on the date of the incident, the victim jumped off the second story balcony of her apartment to escape Quesada-Diaz after he sexually assaulted her in her home, according to an investigation. The victim suffered additional injuries from the fall, including to her back, legs and arms after falling onto a rosebush, according to prosecutors.

Officials said the victim then ran to a neighbor's parked vehicle, where she hid in the back seat of his car, crouched down between the passenger seat and the back seat. The neighbor later drove her to safety while calling 9-1-1. Testing of DNA later linked Quesada-Diaz to swabs taken from the victim shortly after the sexual assault, according to the DA's office.

The trial lasted four days, during which time both the victim and the defendant testified. The jury deliberated for four hours before returning a guilty verdict in the case.

After the verdict, Travis County Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Richards said: “Unfortunately, this case represents the harsh reality that many sexual assaults are perpetrated by people known to the victim. I am grateful that our community is reaching a place where it has a better understanding of the dynamics involved in sexual assault cases and the realities that many sexual assault victims face. I am thankful to the jurors for their careful deliberation and attention to this case.”