NEW BOSTON, Texas β The victim in a child sex abuse trial testified Wednesday that she was 11 or 12 when her favorite adult relative gave her a bubble bath, painted her face with makeup and dressed her in a skirt and low-cut blouse before driving her to a motel room. Della Lou Griffin, 53, the adult who sold her younger relative and introduced her to prostitution and drugs, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison by a Bowie County jury for aggravated sexual assault of a child and to 20 years on each of four counts of sexual assault of a child.
After reminding Griffin of what she stole from the victim, nd District Judge John Tidwell ordered the terms to run consecutively for a total life-plusyear sentence.
Under questioning from First Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp, the victim, now in her late 30s, said she shivered in the cold night as Griffin drove her to a motel in New Boston, where John Littleton was waiting. The three then drove to a liquor store in Texarkana, where they bought wine coolers, whiskey and vodka. On the way back to the motel, the girl sat between Littleton and Griffin in the cab of the truck. As Littleton groped her leg, she elbowed Griffin, hoping she'd make him stop.
Earlier that day, Griffin and the girl were Christmas shopping in a local store when Littleton happened upon them. The victim testified that Griffin convinced her she would be "bait" to get cash from Littleton, but once the money changed hands, Griffin would do the "work" while the girl waited in the car. But after returning from the liquor store, Griffin pocketed some bills from Littleton and left to get ice.
She did not return until the next day. That was the first time Littleton raped the girl. It was not the first time Griffin gave the girl alcohol or marijuana. Soon Griffin was giving the girl crack cocaine-laced marijuana, and the victim was abusing drugs intravenously before she turned Griffin told the victim she could get a lot of money for her virginity, her family needed the money and Littleton preferred young girls. Griffin came to the attention of law enforcement in April after a search of Littleton's home on Meadow Drive in New Boston in connection with a human trafficking investigation.
