A former educator from a Texas middle school received a prison sentence exceeding 30 years after being found guilty of sexually abusing a student aged 13.
Adriana Rullan, 30, was handed a 33-year prison term by a Webb County jury following her conviction for the continuous sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 14.
In addition, the jury sentenced Rullan to a decade for indecency with a child through sexual contact and an extra 13 years for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a student. These terms will be served concurrently, and she has been fined $20,000.
The convictions followed a brief, two-day trial in the 341st District Court, during which prosecutors presented evidence from six witnesses alongside numerous exhibits, such as text messages, photographs, and video footage.
Adriana Rullan, a former Texas middle school teacher, was sentenced to 33 years in prison after being found guilty by a Webb County jury of continuous sexual abuse of a 13-year-old student. (District Attorney Webb/Zapata)
During the sentencing phase, the victim, who was 13 at the time of the abuse, told jurors the abuse cost him his friendships, his sense of self and nearly his life, according to KGNS.
The victim’s mother also addressed the jury, blaming Rullan for her son’s depression and anxiety and describing the emotional toll the abuse had taken on their family. She told jurors Rullan was manipulative and should never be allowed to harm another child, according to KGNS.
The jury returned guilty verdicts after deliberating for less than two hours, according to the Webb County District Attorney’s Office.
Gonzalez Middle School in Laredo, Texas, where former teacher Adriana Rullan worked before she was convicted of sexually abusing a 13-year-old student. (Google Maps)
According to the district attorney’s office, the investigation began Nov. 27, 2023, after the victim’s parents contacted the United Independent School District Police Department with allegations of an inappropriate relationship between a student and a teacher at Gonzalez Middle School in Laredo.
A forensic examination of the victim’s cellphone recovered electronic communications documenting the relationship and provided significant evidence supporting the charges, a spokesperson for the Webb County District Attorney’s Office told People.
Rullan was arrested the following month and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Gonzalez Middle School in Laredo, Texas, where Adriana Rullan taught before her arrest in December 2023. (Google Maps)
It was not immediately clear whether Rullan intends to appeal.
News Media reached out to the Webb County District Attorney’s Office for additional comment and court records and the United Independent School District for comment but did not immediately receive responses.