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By CASEY KNAUPP
Staff Writer

Kalvin Walker was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Friday for raping a 13-year-old girl.

The 26-year-old Tyler man was found guilty of sexual assault of a child on April 23 by 114th District Judge Cynthia Stevens Kent.

During the bench trial, the 14-year-old victim, who was 13 at the time of the incident, testified about how she was molested and raped by Walker on June 10, 2007.

She said she was staying in Tyler with her grandmother for the summer and often spent the night with her cousin, who lived with Walker. One night, as she was sleeping by her little sister on a sofa bed, Walker came into the room and woke her up. She described how he molested and raped her before he told her he was sorry and went to his room.

Judge Kent sentenced Walker to 18 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He faced two to 20 years in prison and was eligible for probation.

During closing arguments, Assistant Smith County District Attorney Richard Vance said the victim felt shame because of what Walker did so she had to write down what happened to tell her aunt as she cried. He said the defendant showed no remorse and raping the little girl warranted a sentence of the maximum 20 years in prison.

Defense attorney LaJuanda Lacy said it was a very serious offense perpetrated against the most vulnerable member of our community - a child. She said Walker's actions were totally out of character.

Ms. Lacy said he had been partying at a club all night and when he returned in the early morning hours, he was under the influence of alcohol, which was largely responsible for what occurred. She said he did show remorse when he apologized to the victim after the incident. She said there was nothing prior to the offense that showed he had a sexual interest in children. Ms. Lacy asked the judge to assess an appropriate sentence.

Vance said there was no evidence Walker was intoxicated and although he told the girl he was sorry, "his actions speak louder than words."

The victim testified that during the assault, she repeatedly told him to stop and tried to push him off her. But after Walker looked at her "like he was mad or something," she said she stopped fighting.

After he left the room, the girl said she tried to wake up her little sister but couldn't rouse her. The next morning when she awoke, the victim said Walker acted as if nothing had happened and so did she. He later drove her and her sister back to her grandmother's house.

The girl said she wrote down what Walker did to her and gave it to her aunt, who started crying. Her aunt then made her call her mother to tell her what happened. Police were called and the girl was taken to the hospital, where she was examined by a nurse. Evidence showed that Walker's DNA was found on the girl.

The girl said she knew Walker when she visited Tyler during the summer of 2006, when he first touched her inappropriately, she said. She said she never told anyone about the previous incidents because Walker told her not to tell and she was scared.

On June 9, 2007, while the girl was with Walker, her sister and others at Lake Tyler, she said Walker molested her while they were in the water.