A Texas teacher has been sentenced to 33 years in prison after a jury convicted her of sexually abusing a 13-year-old student at a middle school in Laredo. Adriana Rullan, 30, was found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child, improper relationship between an educator and a student, and indecency with a child by sexual contact.
The case began on November 27, 2023, when the victim’s parents contacted the United Independent School District Police Department after discovering troubling information involving their son. Investigators later opened an inquiry into allegations of an improper relationship between a teacher and student at Gonzalez Middle School, a campus in Laredo, Texas, near the U.S.–Mexico border.
According to prosecutors, digital evidence became a key part of the investigation. A forensic extraction of the victim’s phone recovered electronic communications that documented the nature and extent of the relationship. Authorities said those messages provided significant evidence supporting the allegations that Rullan had sexually abused the child.
Rullan was arrested the following month and later pleaded not guilty to all charges. During the two-day trial, jurors heard testimony from the victim and his mother, along with evidence gathered during the investigation. Prosecutors argued that the case showed a teacher abusing her position of trust and access to a minor student.
The jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning guilty verdicts on all three counts. The sentencing phase took place the next day, with jurors assessing 33 years for continuous sexual abuse of a child, 10 years for improper relationship between an educator and a student, and 13 years for indecency with a child by sexual contact.
The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Rullan will serve the longest sentence — 33 years — in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Correctional Institution Division. The court’s decision marked the end of a case that moved quickly from a parental report to a criminal investigation, then to a conviction based heavily on digital communications and victim testimony.
As of the latest available information, it has not been publicly confirmed whether Rullan plans to appeal the verdict. The case now stands as a serious example of school-based abuse prosecution, where investigators relied on phone evidence, family reporting, and courtroom testimony to prove that an educator crossed criminal lines with a child under her supervision.
