Man sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing child over a decade, Collin County officials say

A 65-year-old Central Texas man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for sexually abusing a young girl over several years, according to Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis.

Donald Byron Joachim, of Rosenberg, which is near Houston, was found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child by a Collin County jury.

Investigation exposes a decade of abuse

The investigation into Joachim began after the victim, age 14, came forward after telling her sister-in-law about the abuse, the DA's office said in a news release.

The victim was forensically interviewed at the Comal County Children's Advocacy Center, where she detailed that Joachim had a relationship with her family and the abuse began when she was a toddler and ended when she was 13, Collin County authorities said. The victim said the abuse happened in Celina. where she lived from 2017 to 2020, as well as in Canyon Lake and Austin.

Joachim confesses

The Collin County DA's Office said after the victim's outcry, Joachim confessed to several family members that he had abused the child.

During the investigation, authorities said multiple other children reported that Joachim had abused them – some said it happened during the late 90s and early 2000s.

"For too long, this predator exploited trust within families to abuse multiple children across years and locations," Willis said after sentencing.

Willis said Joachim's sentence sends a message that his county "will relentlessly pursue justice and safeguard" children.