Collin County Man Gets Life for Raping 10-year-old Girl, Who Hurt Herself as a Result

A Royse City man will spend his life in prison for sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl for over a year, pushing her to harm herself, officials said.A Collin County jury in late February sentenced Ivan Merida, 35, to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to a news release from the Collin County district attorney’s office.Merida told the child not to tell anyone about the abuse, according to the release. After more than a year of abuse, the girl began to harm herself.When a family member asked why she was hurting herself, she told them about the sexual abuse.Caseworkers at the Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County interviewed the child, and Merida was charged with and convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child.“Collin County children are forever safe from this predator because this brave child found the courage to tell a family member,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said.  Continue reading...