A McAllen couple was sentenced to 40 years in prison after an investigation revealed they assaulted a child over a period of three years, according to a news release.

Evelyn Chavez, 41, and Brian Chavez, 40, were sentenced on Wednesday following their Nov. 2025 conviction on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child, indecency with a child by contact, and aggravated sexual assault of a child.

According to a news release from the Office of Hidalgo County District Attorney Toribio “Terry” Palacios, the McAllen Police Department began the investigation in July 2022 after receiving a sexual assault allegation involving the suspects and a minor child.

“Through the investigation, it was revealed that the child had been sexually assaulted by both defendants, at the same time, over the course of several years,” the news release stated. “For several days, the jury heard testimony regarding traumatic moments that the victim endured from the ages of 5-8 years old, and the tactics that both defendants utilized to abuse the child and conceal their crimes.”

The couple was sentenced to 40 years on the continuous sexual abuse of a child charges, 40 years on the charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and 20 years on the indecency with a child charges. The sentences will run concurrently. 

“Nothing is more devastating than to hear about the atrocious acts that were committed by these defendants who acted with a depraved indifference to human dignity,” Palacios said in a statement. “I hope this sentence ensures that they never have another opportunity to harm an innocent child again.”

The charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the McAllen Police Department, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and the Hidalgo and Starr County Children’s Advocacy Center.

Hidalgo County Assistant District Attorneys Laura L. Rodriguez and Michelle Beltran prosecuted the case.