Justice Served as Former Foster Facility Manager Sentenced to 30 Years

A young woman, previously sexually assaulted at a South Side foster facility, expressed relief at the 30-year prison sentence given to her assailant. Yadira Escamilla said, “Initially it was nerve-wracking… because I didn’t know how things were gonna go.” She felt satisfied when the sentencing concluded, noting, “I was just happy that he actually got some time.”

Cook County Judge Ursula Walowski sentenced Trulon Henry to 30 years in prison for crimes against Escamilla and other children. The 41-year-old faced charges including predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13. Escamilla, now 20, had previously filed a lawsuit against Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, which operated the facility, and its security contractor, A-Alert Security Services.

Escamilla detailed her experience in a suit and an interview, revealing she was confined to a windowless basement without security cameras, where Henry assaulted her. She described feeling isolated, saying, “I didn’t really have any more access to anybody. I was just locked there downstairs.” According to the lawsuit, a staff member witnessed inappropriate activity but failed to take action.

Despite expressing satisfaction at Henry’s imprisonment, Escamilla believes he deserves a longer sentence. He received four years for each count of criminal sexual assault and six years for predatory criminal sexual assault, to run consecutively. Reliving the abuse in court was painful, but Escamilla felt it was worth achieving justice for herself and others.

Henry’s public defender attempted to secure a new trial, claiming insufficient proof of guilt, a motion that was denied. Escamilla noted the stress caused by awaiting this decision. She shared the emotional impact of the abuse and her desire for awareness, saying, “I do try to heal those wounds… I just want awareness, so this does not happen to any other child.” She lamented her initial reports being overlooked.

Her attorney, Margaret Battersby Black, upheld the sentence’s validation of Escamilla’s credibility, stating, “If he can be found guilty in a criminal proceeding beyond reasonable doubt… that makes… me feel very good about our civil case going forward.” Escamilla alleged in the suit that Aunt Martha’s and A-Alert Security neglected indicators of misconduct.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was later included in the lawsuit. Despite Henry’s previous conviction for felony armed robbery, Aunt Martha’s hired him to work with vulnerable children. Henry had addressed his criminal record publicly during his football career. Although the nonprofit denied many allegations, it was unavailable for immediate comment.