They punish a sexual predator thanks to "a letter to God" written by a child

A Texas man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison without the option of parole for sexually abusing two minors, one of whom recounted what happened to him in a letter written to God.

Prosecutor Greg Willis announced Monday the verdict against Mark Elliot Jones, 49, of McKinney, a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth.

"It's sad," he said, "when a sexual predator abuses an innocent child for years, but knowing that he traumatized not one but two innocent children is just unbearable."

Mark Elliott Jones, 49, Collin County, Texas.

Jones sexually abused two boys, ages 10 and 14, with whom he was in continuous contact for several years.

[Reports of sexual assault in the US Armed Forces increase 13%]

One of them wrote a letter to God revealing the abuse, his father told authorities.

That led to the location of a second abused child. Both children disclosed details about the abuse at the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center.

A baby dies after being left in a car in the sun in New Jersey

Aug. 31, 202200:23

The first indictment was filed in June 2019, the date Jones was arrested but later released.

Two weeks later he received a second indictment and was arrested again.

The jury found Jones guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 earlier this month, with a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison;

the judge, Andrea Thompson, raised the sentence to 35 years.

By law, this offense is not eligible for parole.

In addition, he was charged with a second count of sexual contact with a child.

He accepted his guilt in exchange for leniency.