A former middle school teacher in Texas has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexually abusing a 13-year-old student.
Adriana Mariel Rullan, 30, was convicted by a Webb County jury on July 1, 2026, after a two-day trial in Laredo.
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District Judge Becky Palomo delivered the formal sentence in the 341st District Court.
The jury found Rullan guilty on three felony counts: continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, indecency with a child by sexual contact, and improper relationship between an educator and student.
Rullan received 33 years for the continuous sexual abuse charge, 13 years for indecency, and 10 years for the improper relationship.
The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently. The jury also assessed fines totaling $20,000.
"The verdict of the jury has been entered, and I hereby sentence you for the offensive continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 years old felony one count one, to 33 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice," Judge Palomo said.
Prosecutors presented evidence showing the abuse began in 2023 when the victim was 13.
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Investigators recovered text messages, photographs, surveillance videos, and digital financial transactions from the victim's cellphone after his parents discovered the communications and alerted the United Independent School District Police Department.
"I almost lost my son because of you," the victim's mother said during her emotional impact statement.
She testified that the abuse caused her son severe depression and isolation, transforming him from an outgoing child into someone who felt hopeless.
"He was just a 13-year-old boy. You changed him completely," she added.
Court records show Rullan had been employed by the school district since the 2020-2021 academic year.
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She maintained a plea of not guilty throughout the trial, but the jury reached its verdict in less than two hours.
