A former Maryland pediatrician who claimed he was possessed by a demon received a 30-year prison sentence this week for sexually abusing a young patient.

In March, Ernesto Cesar Torres, 74, was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor and three counts of third-degree sex offense.  Nearly five years of Torres' sentence will be reduced due to time served.

WJZ Investigator spoke one-on-one with the Frederick County State's Attorney about the statewide impact of this case. 

Sex abuse investigation 

Police were alerted to Torres' offenses after the mother of an 11-year-old victim reported that her child had been sexually abused during a pediatric exam in May 2019, according to court records. 

The mother reported that she brought her child to see Torres for a mild skin condition. The child told her mother that Torres "made her uncomfortable by placing his hand down her pants and touching her," court documents said.

The child also told her mother that Torres rubbed her stomach and kissed her. The family changed pediatricians after the child reported that she felt uncomfortable, according to court records. 

Following the allegations, Frederick police contacted Child Protective Services and the Child Advocacy Center to interview with the victim. During the interview, the child said Torres put his hands down her pants. 

Torres was arrested at his medical practice, court officials said.

During the investigation in 2019, the Frederick County State's Attorney said there were at least 24 victims, all young, female patients from Torres' medical practice in Frederick. The abuse dated from 1980 to 2018. 

Following the initial allegation, a judge allowed Torres to continue seeing patients. However, he agreed to stop practicing medicine during a later bail review hearing.

"Unbelievable the allegations," said Frederick County State's Attorney Charlie Smith. "Some of the parents said they thought he was doing an abdominal sort of survey. Meanwhile, he had his hand down her pants and was committing a sex offense right in front of the mother. So, he was definitely bold and brazen in what he did."

Smith told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren that he remains committed to moving forward with cases involving other victims.

"We're looking forward to prosecuting the other cases and getting consecutive sentences so that the number of years he has to serve is going to be far longer than the number of days he has left on this earth," Smith said. "We're in talks with the parents and the young ladies right now. We have every intention to make sure he's held responsible for the remaining victims."

Demons and possession 

At one point, Dr. Torres claimed he was possessed by a witch. 

The state's attorney said he showed no remorse at sentencing. 

"He blamed the victims. He did not take responsibility for his actions. He said he was a prophet in a previous life and that there were demonic entities that were possessing these young girls into lying on him, so to speak, and saying what they were saying, which I thought was just egregious," Smith said. "He already traumatized them—sexually molesting them. To traumatize this young girl again by saying she's possessed by demons and that's why she came forward was just egregious. It was just horrible."

Lifetime impact

A victim told the court, "I now can't trust male authority.  My childhood was taken away from me."

Her mother said, "For 15 years, my children saw him regularly. I trusted him. I had no idea what my child was living through. My trust in him was shattered, and I will carry this pain for the rest of my life. I still carry the guilt."

The Torres case was the catalyst for a change to Maryland law in 2013.

It closed a loophole and now allows tougher prosecutions for people in positions of authority accused of sex crimes against children.

When charges were first brought six years ago, WJZ Investigates spoke to a mother who said that while her own children were not abused, the allegations were devastating. 

"It makes you not want to trust anyone with your kids. I think the first person who came forward was really brave," the mother said. 

Smith said the victims will be impacted for the rest of their lives. 

"It's one thing to be molested. It's another thing to be molested by someone whom you trust," he said. "We hope for a general deterrent effect when you hear about a big sentence like this, but we find that these people are oftentimes hardwired this way and that they're going to offend and they're going to try to do it in any way possible."

Dr. Torres will always have to register as a sex offender.

The state's attorney believes there may be more victims who have yet to come forward and encourages them to do so. 

"We are willing to take a look at these cases and charge them despite his age, despite the sentence. We think they need to have justice," he said.