July 9, 2020

Cruz Palacios-Romero receives a 41 ½ year prison sentence

Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announces the sentencing of 38-year-old Cruz Palacios-Romero after a jury unanimously found him guilty of 81 counts of child-related sex crimes.

The court imposed a sentence of 41 ½ years in prison.

The jury returned its verdict on January 21, 2020 and found Palacios-Romero guilty of crimes that include rape in the first degree and sexual abuse in the third degree.

“Cruz Palacios-Romero is completely detached from the trauma he caused and has no remorse. His actions betrayed his family and caused so much pain,” said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Amber Kinney, who prosecuted this case. “This family’s trauma is not just in the past – it will be into the future.”

Palacios-Romero started abusing the victim when she was approximately 11-12 years old. That abuse continued on a regular occurrence until the victim was 14 years old.

DDA Kinney said it is likely Palacios-Romero picked his victim because he knew her vulnerability and the fear she and her family would have with coming forward to disclose the abuse to law enforcement.

“Mr. Palacios-Romero absolutely took advantage knowing how hard it would be for the victim, her mother and their extended family, but the victim in this case is strong and one of the most courageous young girls we have ever seen,” said DDA Kinney.

Palacios-Romero will have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

The victim and her family do not want media contact. The district attorney’s office is requesting media refrain from attempting to contact them.

Furthermore, the district attorney’s Victim’s Assistance Program will continue to assist the victim and her family and will provide them with information on available community-based resources. 

It was through the coordination, communication and collaboration of the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team that this case was investigated and prosecuted.

The Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team includes representatives from CARES Northwest, local law enforcement, public schools, hospitals, health departments, local mental health service providers, the Oregon Department of Human Services, and Multnomah County’s Department of Community Justice.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team works with community partners to protect children who have been abused and neglected while ensuring that all practices are trauma-informed and mitigate the life-long consequences of child abuse. The team also handles child homicides, felony child physical abuse cases, felony child abandonment cases, custodial interference cases, and felony sex crimes where the victim is currently under the age of 18 and where the suspect is determined not to be a stranger to the child.

CARES Northwest, Multnomah County’s child abuse assessment center, is a community-based medical program for the assessment, treatment and prevention of child abuse. The organization is one of the largest child abuse assessment centers in the nation and serves more than 5,000 children annually.

COVID-19 Notice

The health and well-being of all employees and community members we serve is a top priority for the Multnomah County District Attorney. Our office is working with the court, defense bar, local law enforcement and other system partners to carefully balance the needs of public health and public safety.

For information about the operational changes implemented by the District Attorney’s Office in response to the novel coronavirus, please click here.

#MCDA#

Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director | Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Phone: 503.988.6567 | Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us