Jury sentences San Marcos man to 17 years for sexual assault
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins announced today that 23-year-old Cory Grado of San Marcos was sentenced to 17 years in prison on March 20, 2025.
On March 20, 2025, a jury found Cory Grado guilty of sexual assault and invasive visual recording. The evidence at trial showed that Cory Grado recorded himself sexually assaulting the victim. When officers with the San Marcos Police Department searched the defendant’s phone for evidence, they found numerous images and videos depicting the sexual assault in graphic detail, as well as close-up photos of the victim’s intimate areas.
After the jury found the defendant guilty of sexual assault and invasive visual recording, the punishment phase of the trial began. The jurors heard additional testimony from the victim, the victim’s boyfriend and the mother of the victim, detailing the traumatic effect the crimes had on the victim and explaining how much she has suffered as a result. The jury ultimately returned a sentence of 17 years in prison for the sexual assault conviction and a maximum sentence of two years state jail for invasive visual recording.
This case was investigated by the San Marcos Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Miranda Ebersole and Elizabeth Schmidt.
"We asked the jury to send a message that these crimes are not tolerated in our community, and that is what they have done with their verdict,” Schmidt said. “We want to thank the jurors for their service, especially since they had to review very disturbing evidence. We also want to thank the victim in this case for her bravery and for having the strength to face the defendant in court.”
District Attorney Kelly Higgins thanked the investigators, prosecutors and jurors for bringing Grado to justice.






