What happened to Richard Duplessis? Texas man sentenced to life in prison found dead in Galveston house

41-year-old Richard Duplessis was found dead at a residence on Avenue S ½, near the intersection of Seawall Boulevard and 35th Street. Authorities confirmed that Duplessis hung himself to death. An individual called the cops after finding his body. The person stated that they went to find the source of a foul smell coming from the house.

Trigger warning: The article contains references to s*xual abuse and suicide. Readers’ discretion is advised.

Duplessis was convicted of s*xually abusing a six-year-old girl and was expected to appear in court last week. However, he was not present there. The trial started last Tuesday, and two other victims also came forward and accused Richard Duplessis of s*xually abusing them when they were kids.

---

Back in 2016, Duplessis had assaulted a minor in Galveston County. Shortly after that, he was found guilty of endangering a child. In 2017, he faced similar charges in Harris County, which later got dismissed.

---

Richard Duplessis was convicted of s*xually abusing a family member since she was 6

Richard Duplessis, who was facing a life sentence for s*xually abusing a family member when she was a minor, hung himself in a Galveston residence. On July 20, 2023, Duplessis received life imprisonment for the s*xual abuse charges.

The chain of events began on August 12, 2022, after a minor victim reported that she was s*xually assaulted by Duplessis when she was six years old, from May 2021 to February 2022.

Shortly after the allegations, Duplessis was arrested by cops and was indicted by a jury for continuous s*xual abuse of a child. Then in November 2022, he posted a bond of $250,000. According to Chief Assistant District Attorney Raneca Henson,

“The defendant took advantage of the victim’s trust and innocence. The defendant has shown he is a predator, and he preys on young girls that can’t protect themselves.”

Henson further said,

“She outcried that he had started s*xually abusing her from around the age of six or seven until she was eight.”

---

Duplessis failed to appear on the last day of his trial

According to the defense team, the defendant required rehabilitation. The DA, however, stated that Richard needed “a prison and not rehabilitation.”

Duplessis has been described as a predator, and after he missed his last day on trial, Henson stated:

“It’s a very weird situation. In my career, it’s never happened before.”

Duplessis’ sentencing arrived after around 10 minutes of deliberation with the jury. They also confirmed that he was not eligible for parole.

According to police reports, Richard Duplessis failed to appear in the courtroom. Later, an individual went to look for him after getting a foul smell from the residence. The search came to an end after Duplessis’ body was found.

The case was being investigated by the US Marshal’s Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force.