A Missouri man convicted of sexually abusing children for years is facing a lifetime in prison.

A judge sentenced 53-year-old Edward Martinez to nine life sentences in prison on Thursday. In September, a jury convicted Martinez on multiple charges, including child molestation, statutory rape, and statutory sodomy.

Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson stated in a press release that the abuse took place between 1996 and 2021. The oldest victim was 12 years old, while the youngest was a 4-year-old. The prosecution described Martinez as a “serial child molester.”

Martinez contended that the girls were lying and made up false stories because they knew he had been acquitted of similar charges in the 1990s.

Within a few hours, however, the jury convicted him. After another 30 minutes of deliberation, they recommended the nine life sentences that the judge imposed.

Following the conviction, some of the victims spoke out, according to KY3 News, including a mother who said the defendant was a family friend.

“I looked him in the eye in court and told him that to his face when I was on the stand. I said I told you we would get you. I said it might take a while but I wouldn’t rest until it happened. And that’s what we did,” Leanna Bremenkamp, whose daughter was a victim, said.

“I let this monster into our home, around my kids and he betrayed our trust. We trusted him and invited him into our family and this is how he did us. It’s not right.”

Republic Police Detective James Stephenson served as the lead investigator in the case. He stated that the evidence presented in court built a strong case against Martinez.

“37 years ago was the first victim. When you think about that, 37 years of, a life of, essentially what the evidence proved was geared towards victimizing the young and disabled.”

“I’m very grateful. I’m very grateful for the victims and I’m grateful for all of the victims we don’t know about that will find out. It was the right thing that happened.”

Martinez declined to appear at his formal sentencing hearing, reportedly scheduled to take place later this month.

[Feature Photo: Edward Martinez/Greene County Jail]