
Assistant District Attorney Janice Schryer said 52-year-old William Asarisi was found guilty of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual penetration of a child which occurred in Luna County in 1992.
Schryer said the jury deliberated for just over an hour Tuesday before delivering the guilty verdict to Sixth Judicial District Court Judge Daniel Viramontes.
The victim, who is now 31 and lives in Missouri, was 10 at the time of the abuse.
She reportedly had blocked the sexual abuse from her memory until some other events happened in her life which triggered the memory. She then approached Missouri police who took her statement and worked with Deming Police Investigator Matt Rudiger and the local District Attorney’s office to have charges filed here, where the offenses occurred.
Schryer said the jurors were considerate of the evidence and issues involved in the case, which included the 20-year delay in reporting the abuse, the concept of memory block and a polygraph given to Asarisi.
Asarisi was remanded into custody following the guilty verdict.
Schryer said sentencing was pending a pre-sentencing report ordered by Judge Viramontes.
Each count can carry a sentence of up to 18 years in prison