SAN ANTONIO — A Bexar County jury found a man guilty in an abuse case involving two children who were bound by their ankles and wrists in the backyard of a home in 2016.
- Pre-sentencing investigation hearing is set for May 18
- Punishment could range from 25 to 99 years or life in prison
Deandre Dorch's trial began Monday.
The 38-year-old was convicted of two counts of injury to a child-serious bodily injury by a jury in under two hours Wednesday afternoon.
He was 36 when he was arrested and charged in the incident in which a boy, 4, and a girl, 3, were found crying in the backyard of the home he shared with his girlfriend, Porucha Phillips, in the 8100 block of Chipping in the Camelot II subdivision on the Northeast Side.
Bexar County Sheriff's Office Deputy Luis Estrada choked up while testifying this week that the children were tied so tightly that they could barely move. Deputies also found six children between the ages of 10 months and 11 years by themselves inside the home.
Dorch and Phillips said they were watching the bound children for their friend, Cheryl Reed.
Reed awaits trial. Phillips got 50 years in prison after pleading guilty in the case.
Because Dorch has a previous record, the range of punishment is 25 to 99 years or life in prison. Prosecutor Karl Alexander told the media said he intends to seek a life term.
A pre-sentencing investigation hearing is set for May 18.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.