District Attorney’s Office press release
Last week, Samuel Wade Hukill, 55, formerly of Grand Saline, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by 173rd District Judge Dan Moore for a 2014 Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child charge.
Hukill was prosecuted by Assistant D.A. Nancy Rumar of Scott McKee’s District Attorney’s Office.
Hukill was indicted by a Henderson County Grand Jury last June after an investigation by Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Nick Webb into the aggravated sexual assault.
The investigation began when the victim’s mother walked into the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office and reported to Investigator Billy Jack Valentine that her teenage child had been sexually assaulted by Hukill.
Investigator Valentine conducted an initial investigation to gather the identity and possible location of Hukill, the location of the assault and potential witnesses. Valentine then turned the case over to Investigator Nick Webb, the Crimes Against Children Investigator for the Sheriff’s Department. Webb conducted the remainder of the investigation and interviewed the victim with the assistance of Forensic Interviewer Sheila Durden of the Henderson County Child Advocacy Center.
According to District Attorney Scott McKee, the Child Advocacy Center or “CAC” employs forensic interviewers who are trained professionals that interview the victims of child abuse and neglect. According to McKee, these interviews are absolutely essential for the prosecution of cases involving child abuse and child sexual abuse.
During the sentencing hearing, testimony revealed that Hukill told Investigator Webb that if he did sexually assault the victim, he must have been asleep at the time. Hukill also partly confessed to the assault during an interview with Dan Scheel of the Department of Public Safety.
Despite his guilty plea and his previous statements about the assault to Webb and Scheel, Hukill denied remembering the assault and didn’t take responsibility during testimony. He also claimed that he was high on Xanax and sleeping pills at the time and that he only pled guilty so the victim would not have to testify.
During her cross examination of Hukill, Assistant D.A. Rumar pointed out the inconsistencies between Hukill’s detailed confession and his sentencing statement.
Throughout her closing arguments to the Court, Rumar stressed Hukill’s denial of responsibility and the danger he presents to society.
While pronouncing sentence, Judge Dan Moore stated “this is one of society’s most heinous crimes.”
District Attorney Scott McKee praised the work of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Public Safety, and the Child Advocacy Center for their investigation of the case. “These types of cases are not only devastating to the victim and their families, they are some of the most complicated cases to prosecute and litigate,” said McKee. “We are truly blessed in this county to have competent and devoted law enforcement and legal professionals that dedicate their careers in a synchronized fight against child abuse and neglect. It truly takes a team.”