A piano teacher who molested girls ages 9 and 12 he met through Agape House of Prayer in Anaheim has been sentenced to 30 years to life in state prison.
A worship team leader who gave electronic keyboard lessons at Agape, 35-year-old David Elifar Verduzco of Santa Ana had befriended the families of the girls, who all attended the church together.
“You were really close friends with my family and now it's hard to trust anyone,” said the younger girl in a victim impact statement delivered at Friday's sentencing. “The way I feel now is that I'll be scared forever, and I don't want to remember this at all when I get older.”
The father of the other girl called Verduzco a wolf who disguised himself as a sheep to prey on victims, adding the experience nearly broke up the dad's marriage.
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David Elifar Verduzco is GUILTY of Preying on Little Girls While with Agape House of Prayer
Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 27 of 2011, Verduzco kissed the 12-year-old on the cheek and put his hand on her thigh while giving piano lessons at Agape. He also sent her inappropriate text messages to her cell phone. When the 9-year-old's parents went to the hospital on Aug. 28, 2011, Verduzco babysat her and two other little girls. After putting the younger two to bed, Verduzco used his finger on the 9-year-old.
A subsequent Tustin Police Department investigation uncovered a deleted video on Verduzco's cell phone of upskirt images as the unaware 12-year-old sand and played the keyboard.
A jury on Oct. 1 found Verduzco guilty of three felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, one felony count of sexual penetration with a child 10 years or younger and one misdemeanor count each of child annoyance and disorderly conduct. The sentencing enhancement allegations for substantial sexual conduct with a child and lewd acts on multiple children were found true.
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