In re J.O. CA5

BACKGROUND

Minor lived with his father, stepmother, and their blended family. For several years, while minor was about 10 to 15 years old, he sexually molested his stepsister (V1) and his biological sister (V2). Minor was about two years older than V1 and about five years older than V2. When minor was about 10 years old, he began molesting V1 when she was about eight. The molestation occurred in their bedrooms or in their “club house.” V1 eventually told her older brother about the molestation in front of minor. She thought her older brother did not believe her, but it probably scared minor and he stopped molesting her. However, minor then began molesting his biological sister, V2, when she was about nine years old and he was about 14 years old. The molestation occurred in their bedrooms. There was a third, younger sister in the home that minor had apparently not molested. Father and stepmother were unaware of the sexual abuse, but for a few years, stepmother had noticed that V1 (her daughter) was behaving differently and acting disrespectfully toward father and stepmother. They got V1 involved in therapy and believed it was helping her. But eventually, on September 15, 2021, V1…