MAN SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS FOR AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A MINOR

PHOENIX – Emerson Boyd Austin, 27, of Nageezi, New Mexico, was sentenced here to 50 years, by U.S. District Judge Stephen M. McNamee. Austin had been found guilty by a federal jury on December 12, 2006, of Aggravated Sexual Assault and Sexual Abuse of a Minor.

On April 24, 2005 Austin met the fifteen year old victim at a party. Austin took the victim for a ride and eventually parked on a remote hilltop. Austin then began to try to touch the girl’s breast. The victim told Austin “No” and tried to exit the vehicle. Austin then grabbed a knife and the victim. Austin forced the victim back into the truck at knife point. He then assaulted the victim by hitting her, choking her and holding the knife to her throat. Austin then forced the victim to remove her pants and underwear and he forced the fifteen year old victim to have penile/vaginal intercourse with him. The victim pleaded for Austin to stop, but Austin continued to assault and threaten her. The partially clothed victim was eventually able to escape from Austin by running over a mile. through a field to a relative’s house.

At sentencing, it was determined that Austin had two other convictions for crimes of violence and was therefore a career offender. Judge McNamee noted that this was one of the most heinous crimes he had heard of during his seventeen years on the bench.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Department of Law Enforcement. The prosecution was handled by Kimberly M. Hare, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER: CR-05-485
RELEASE NUMBER: 2007-097(Austin)

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