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On Friday, January 13, 2023, prosecutors announced that former Texas trooper Lee Ray Boykin Jr. was found guilty of assaulting two women in 2020. Following a four-day trial, a Houston jury found Lee Ray Boykin Jr., 33, guilty of assaulting two women while on duty as a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper.
The former trooper was accused of depriving the two victims of their right to bodily integrity when he abused his power as a Texas state trooper and coerced the women into performing s*xual acts while threatening them with arrest.
In addition to assault charges, the former state trooper was also charged with carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence, destruction, alteration or falsification of records in a federal investigation, ABC News reports.
Lee Ray Boykin Jr. stalked his victims before assaulting them
Lee Ray Boykin Jr. was convicted by a Houston jury for assaulting two different women while on duty as a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. The prosecutor said that Boykin "stalked" his victims and used them for his gratification during his tenure as a state trooper. U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a news release that:
"My office is firmly committed to ensuring the civil rights of every person in the Southern District of Texas. We rely on our police officers and federal agents every day to serve and protect. This lone officer, however, used his authority to stalk and prey on his victims for his own s*xual gratification. We are pleased the jury agreed that such conduct will not be tolerated in our community."
In one of the incidents that occurred in August 2020, Boykin forced the victim into his car following a traffic stop and drove her to a secluded location in a hotel parking lot at the 10700 North Freeway. The suspect then forced the victim to perform violating acts after falsely accusing her of being a prostitute and threatening to apprehend her with an out-of-state arrest if she refused.
During the trial, the second victim testified that she was also taken to the same spot before the suspect assaulted her after threatening her with jail time on outstanding traffic warrants. The victims, who feared for their lives, reportedly complied with the heinous demands of the former state trooper.
Lee Ray Boykin Jr. was charged in August 2020
Lee Ray Boykin Jr. was charged in August 2020 by the Harris County District Attorney's Office with aggravated assault after the second victim called Houston police and reported the attack. Following an investigation, Boykin, who worked as a state trooper for four years, was terminated from his position.
Prosecutors said that Boykin, who was taken into custody after the trial, could reportedly be sentenced to life in prison and added that the suspect will be sentenced on April 4, 2023.
Authorities believe that the state trooper might have victimized other individuals during the course of his employment and have urged people to contact law enforcement with any information related to the case.
