School should be the children’s second home, where they learn, feel safe, and create connection. However, it wasn’t for one student at John Adams Middle School who experienced abused from her teacher.
The Bernalillo County jury found former teacher Patrick Corr guilty on all four charges he faced which are one count of rape of a minor, two counts of child abuse, and one count of providing alcohol to a minor.
Judge Clara Moran presided the court and read the verdict. Emotions ran high during the trial as the jury convicted Corr after relatively short deliberation.
According to prosecutors, Corr sexually assaulted a teenage girl after getting her intoxicated at his home in Edgewood when she was 16 years old.
The Emotional Toll It Took on Everyone
Deputy District Attorneys Rebekah Reyes and Savannah Branenevurg-Koch, who prosecuted the case, said the trial was among the most challenging of their careers.
“I think I can speak for both of us when we say this was absolutely the most stressful, hardest trial either one of us have done in our careers,” Reyes said.
The emotional toll was particularly apparent when the victim took the stand.
“We really just give them the power to tell their story and encourage them to do that,” Branenevurg‑Koch said.
The victim testified that Corr gave her alcohol prior to raping her. Prosecutors said returning to the courtroom repeatedly forced her to relive the trauma.
“It was very hard for her to come into court and testify,” Reyes said. “One of the things she kept telling us was, ‘What if no one believes me?’”
Corr intoxicated her at that time so she believed no one would believe her. This is just sad and disappointing for a young girl to experience
Prosecutors said the victim broke down multiple times during and after her testimony, at one point saying she could no longer describe what happened to her.
The Jury’s Verdict
Reyes said the jury’s verdict sends a powerful message.
“For the jury to have believed her and convicted Patrick Corr, I think, speaks volumes—hopefully to everyone out there—that we believe victims,” Reyes said. “And when you believe victims, you can show that to a jury,” she added.
Prosecutors also believed screenshots of inappropriate Snapchat messages Corr sent to the victim played a crucial role in the decision.
“The fact that he is even communicating with a child via Snapchat—which, as most younger people know, is easy to hide because the messages disappear—was significant,” Reyes said.
Corr now faces up to 22 and a half years in prisons. Prosecutors say they have notified the victim and hope she understands how much her courage mattered.
The victim’s courage to speak up about her nightmare, has made the jury and prosecutors to do the right thing by giving the suspect a justifiable verdict.
May this serve as a lesson for every educators to only do their job and do not touch children in any way that it harm both of their reputation and child’s future.