| Inmate name: | John Robert Coulter |
| Charge description: | On Wednesday, December 17, 2014, 434th District Court Judge James H. Shoemake sentenced John Robert Coulter to 35 years in prison for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. The 32-year old Kendleton man was tried and convicted of the first-degree felony by a jury but requested the court to assess his punishment. Evidence presented by prosecutors Jill Stotts and Natalie McKinnon, of the District Attorneys Office Child Abuse Division, revealed that John Robert Coulter would babysit 3-year-old Renee Brown (pseudonym) while her mother worked. On October 2, 2012, Renees mother picked her up early from the defendants home and noticed that her daughters shirt was on backwards. She asked Renee why her shirt was on backwards and Renee stated Because Uncle Boo Boo (a name that several children called Coulter) took it off. When Renees mother asked her why Uncle Boo Boo took her shirt off, she said, Because I was sucking on him and he squirted on me. The child then told the nurse at the hospital that Uncle Boo Boo hurts her and that he squirted white blood on her from his butt in the front of his pants and that he had her lick him. The defendant later had a conversation with a relative in which he admitted that it would be possible for his semen to be on Renees shirt. DNA evidence offered at trial confirmed Coulters semen was present on Renees shirt and abdomen. The jury took less than 90 minutes to find Coulter guilty of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. After hearing punishment evidence, the court determined that the victim was under the age of six at the time of the offense. Due to that finding, the defendant is not eligible for parole and must serve every day of his 35-year sentence. This case illustrates every parents worst nightmare. Thankfully the childs mother noticed her daughters clothing was awry and asked her about it, said lead prosecutor Jill Stotts. The childs mother is an impressive young woman who was determined to get justice for her daughter. It is beyond comprehension that an adult would seek sexual gratification from any child, especially a three year old. The case is particularly disturbing due to the childs age. We commend the jury for their service. Prosecutor Natalie McKinnon added, The law recognizes the depravity related to sexual abuse of a child of such tender years, and enhances the punishment to a minimum of 25 years, served day for day without the possibility of parole, when an adult commits certain sexual acts with a child younger than six years old. Attorneys James Bennett and Michael Nassif represented the defendant. |
| Booking location: | Fort Bend County, TX |
