Man convicted of over a dozen child sex crimes found dead before sentencing
A sentencing hearing for a former Tonganoxie man convicted of over a dozen child sex crimes was cancelled Friday after an attorney told state prosecutors the man had died, according to the Leavenworth County Attorney’s Office.
David Espinoza, 44, was scheduled to appear for a sentencing hearing on Friday after a Leavenworth County jury found him guilty of 12 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and four counts of attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a child on Jan. 13, Micah Bray, a spokesperson for the Leavenworth County Attorney’s Office, said in a press release.
On May 1, 2023, the victim reported that she had been sexually abused by Espinoza, telling officials the abuse spanned “several years” and occurred at multiple locations in Leavenworth County, Bray said.
According to a case note, Espinoza’s attorney appeared in court on Espinoza’s behalf on Friday morning, where the attorney told state prosecutors the man had died.
Bray said the attorney’s office does not know the cause or manner of Espinoza’s death. The press release said Espinoza was found dead “recently.”
Following Espinoza’s conviction, state prosecutors requested the man immediately be taken into custody, Bray said. A Leavenworth County judge denied that request, and Espinoza was not in custody leading up to the scheduled hearing.
