Saturday, April 27, 2024
Thomas Edward Demopoulos
Thomas Edward Demopoulos, who had evaded arrest for more than eight years for first-degree felony child sex crimes, on April 26 was sentenced to 90 years in prison by a jury in 355th District Court in Granbury.
A news release from Hood County District Attorney Ryan Sinclair states Demopoulos pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact, and one count of bail jumping.
“The jury found him guilty of each of those counts, and sentenced him to 90 years in prison for the aggravated sexual assault charges, 20 years in prison for the indecency with a child by sexual contact charge, and 10 years in prison for the bail jumping,” Sinclair’s release states. “Aggravated sexual assault of a child carries a maximum of 99 years in prison, indecency with a child by sexual contact carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, and bail jumping carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.”
Sinclair added, “Justice has been a long time coming in this case. Not only did Demopoulos destroy his family when he abused his seven-year-old little girl, but for the last 10 years he denied his daughter and family the justice they need and deserve. But now, at long last, he’s where he needs to be: in prison for the rest of his life.”
Sinclair also noted, “This case has been outstanding for many years. It took the concerted effort of many law enforcement agencies to finally bring Demopoulos to justice. My thanks to all those involved over the years.”
Demopoulos can become eligible for parole after he has served half his sentence, the district attorney noted.
Sinclair explained some of the details involved in the felony offenses.
“In October 2010 Demopoulos was discovered molesting his seven-year-old daughter,” the news release states. “During the investigation of this case, it was also discovered that Demopoulos had sexually abused his younger sister when they were growing up. He was arrested and subsequently bonded out. Demopoulos and his ex-wife had five young kids at the time, and Demopoulos worked in the purchasing division of IBM.”
Sinclair noted that after Demopoulos was released from jail after posting bond, he “moved to another town while awaiting trial.”
Sinclair continued, “(Demopoulos) eventually purchased fake identification documents, and in 2011 he fled the country. Authorities tracked him to Mexico City, but the trail went cold after that. For the next ten years, law enforcement was unable to locate Demopoulos’s whereabouts.”
Sinclair noted that “Sometime in late 2020 or early 2021,” he asked “Dan Bradshaw, an investigator with the DA’s child abuse investigation unit, to see if he could locate Demopoulos. Bradshaw worked with law enforcement authorities and eventually located Demopoulos deep in Mexico living under his new identity. Mexican authorities expelled Demopoulos and transported him back to the United States in 2021. Upon return to the United States, Demopoulos was taken into federal custody to face an embezzlement-related charge in Pennsylvania. Federal authorities ultimately dropped that charge against Demopoulos, and he was transported back to Texas to face charges for child sexual abuse in Hood County.”
Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds told the Hood County News, "It was a long time coming, as this case was from 2010. The end result wouldn't be possible without the dedicated work of Hood County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Marshal's Office and District Attorney's Office."
According to a May 24, 2021 news release from the Hood County Sheriff’s Office, Demopoulos was located in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico in May of 2021 by the Office of the Inspector General for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, assisted by the U.S. Marshal’s Office. Demopoulos was then transported to a federal holding facility in Fort Worth. The release noted that at that time his sexual abuse case was “pending and was never resolved due to him fleeing the country.”
That 2020 news release included a quote from Deeds stating, “This arrest has been a long time coming and I’m so proud to know he’s in custody. We never gave up hope and knew eventually he would be arrested.”
