Tag: first-degree rape

Convicted of raping child, Mark Albarado Jr. sentenced to life in prison

A Jefferson Parish judge on Wednesday (Feb. 4) sentenced Mark Albarado Jr. to life in prison for his conviction of raping a juvenile.

Albarado, 50, of Marrero, was convicted by a jury on Jan. 14 of first-degree rape of a juvenile under age 13 and sexual battery of a juvenile under age 13.

“Mark, you will never be able to harm another child again,” the victim’s mother told Albarado in victim-impact testimony Wednesday.

At age 11, the victim initially disclosed the abuse to two step-siblings in March 2022, after one of the step-siblings watched a video about abuse. The victim disclosed that the abuse by Albarado occurred during the previous six years.

The victim’s mother learned of it the following day and notified the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. During the investigation, DNA tied to Albarado’s lineage was found on a pair of the victim’s undergarment.

The victim said the first instance of abuse occurred at a campground in Tangipahoa Parish, and the remaining incidents happened at a Marrero residence. Albarado denied abusing the child.

For the first-degree rape, Judge Lee Faulkner of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Albarado to a mandatory life in prison without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. For sexual battery, Judge Faulkner sentenced Albarado to 25 years in prison. The judge ran the sentences concurrently.

Assistant District Attorneys Theresa King and Erich Cathey prosecuted the case.

NOTE: This report was updated on Feb. 11, 2026, to specify that the defendant is Mark Albarado Jr.

 

Paul J. Beebe Jr. convicted of raping 59-year-old Metairie woman

A Jefferson Parish jury on Wednesday (Feb. 12) found Paul J. Beebe Jr. guilty of raping a woman in a Metairie apartment.

Beebe, 65, of St. Rose, was convicted as charged of the first-degree rape of the diminutive 59-year-old woman on May 13, 2023.

The victim, a friend of Beebe’s brother, was at the brother’s apartment in the 6300 block of Riverside Drive on the night before she was raped. Beebe was there, too, and became so intoxicated that he passed out and slept on the living room floor where he fell. The following morning, he groped the victim as she slept on a recliner.

After his brother left for work, his behavior escalated. “I got you now,” he told the victim. He beat and dragged the victim across the floor to the bedroom, where he strangled and raped her. Afterward, he fell asleep while sitting at the kitchen table. Suffering with abrasions and other injuries to her face, wrist, back and hip and cloaked only with a bed sheet, the victim fled.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office was notified. Swabs collected during the victim’s sexual assault examination revealed the presence of Beebe’s DNA. At trial, Beebe suggested alternatively that the victim consented to sexual activity, but also that he was unable to complete a sexual act.

The jury that was seated Monday deliberated about 2 ½ hours Wednesday in finding Beebe guilty as charged.

Judge Shayna Beevers Morvant of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Beebe on Tuesday (Feb. 18).

Assistant District Attorneys Brendan Bowen and Lindsay Truhe prosecuted the case.

Convicted of sexually abusing juveniles, Elias Abrego Zambrano faces life in prison

A Jefferson Parish jury on Wednesday evening (Oct. 19) found Elias Abrego Zambrano guilty of sexually abusing two children.

Zambrano, 54, was convicted as charged of first-degree rape of a juvenile under age 13, two counts of sexual battery of a juvenile under age 13 and two counts of indecent behavior with juveniles under age 13.

The crimes occurred in Kenner beginning as early as 2012 and September 2017. The crimes were first reported to the Kenner Police Department in March 2020 when the victims were ages 13 and 19.

Zambrano was a friend of the victims’ family. He denied victimizing the children.

The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning with its unanimous verdicts. Judge Ellen Shirer Kovach of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Zambrano on Oct. 26. First-degree rape carries a mandatory life sentence in prison without probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

Assistant District Attorneys Carolyn Chkautovich and Blaine Moncrief prosecuted the case.