EPHRATA — A jury convicted a 25-year-old Mattawa man of raping his

11-year-old niece in 2008.

A

Grant County jury found Andres Barragan Estrada guilty of one count

of rape of a child in the first degree after deliberating for two

hours.

Prosecutor Angus Lee stated Barragan Estrada faces a minimum

sentence range of seven years and nine months to 10 years and three

months in prison. It is possible he could serve life in prison

depending on a Department of Corrections review board.

“We will ask for a sentence of (10 years and three months) to life

(in prison,)” Lee stated. “Upon imposition of the sentence the

defendant will serve the amount of time between 93 (months) and 123

(months) that the court orders and then will be examined by the

indeterminate sentence review board. If he is not ready for

release, he will serve another two years at a time between reviews.

If he is ever released he will be under the supervision of the

Department of Corrections for life.”

The victim was visiting her father’s shop when she decided to go

into a mobile home to watch television, according to a Mattawa

police report. Her uncle was sleeping on the bed, when she started

watching television.

Barragan Estrada woke up about five minutes later, demanded the

victim strip. When she refused, he grabbed her, forced her off the

bed and demanded twice more. When she complied, he raped her,

according to the police report.

He

threatened the victim’s family two weeks after the incident,

according to the police report.

“Deputy Prosecutor Carole Highland did a great job presenting this

case to the jury,” Lee stated.