A former Laredo teacher is going to prison for 33 years. A Webb County jury convicted her on all three charges after two days of trial. Then a judge sentenced her on the spot.
Adriana Mariel Rullan taught at Antonio Gonzalez Middle School in Laredo. Her school is part of UISD.
The verdict came on July 1. The trial was in the 341st District Court. Judge Becky Palomo read the sentence out loud.
"I hereby sentence you for continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 to 33 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice," Judge Palomo said.
The jury found Rullan guilty of three crimes. The most serious was continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14. She got 33 years for that. For indecency with a child, she got 13 years. For an improper relationship between an educator and a student, she got 10 years. All three run at the same time. The jury also hit her with $20,000 in fines.
Rullan was taken to prison right after the sentencing.
The abuse happened when the victim was 13 years old. He was her student. After the verdict, the victim told the court he still struggles with depression and anxiety. He said there were times when he felt like he did not want to live.
His mother spoke next. She looked at Rullan and said what many parents would want to say.
"I almost lost my son because of you," she told the court. "He was just a 13-year-old boy. You changed him completely."
Rullan was arrested in December 2023. She said she was not guilty. The jury did not believe her.
Prosecutors said this was a betrayal of trust. They asked for a long term. Rullan's lawyer asked for less. The jury gave her 33 years.
Texas law bans teachers from having sexual contact with their students. The law protects kids from adults in charge of them.
The family spoke up. The jury listened. Rullan will spend 33 years in a Texas prison.
