Abbeville, La. - Earlier this year, Bryan Kibodeaux, a former Vermilion Parish Deputy was convicted of child rape charges against three children.
KATC sat down with the mother of two survivors ahead of the sentencing hearing. For the protection of the children involved, KATC has decided to conceal our subject’s identity and the children’s names.
For years, Kibodeaux was a close family friend who would occasionally take care of the girls with his daughter. The mother of the two survivors said on a typical Friday she received a phone call from her ex-husband stating that the children did not want to go to ‘uncle’ Bryan’s house.
A family friend once considered like an uncle, but in 2016 it was revealed that Kibodeaux sexually assaulted both of her young daughters. At the time, the girls were six and eight years old.
For this mother of three, this betrayal has reopened old wounds.
“I didn’t see his dark signs … he was very good at hiding his dark side of him,” she said. The mother tells KATC that she was unaware of the abuse that was happening to either of her daughters.
The mother tells KATC the day her daughter refused to go to Kibodeaux’s house was the day she relieved in explicit detail the horrifying acts he would perform on her. However, it wasn’t until a routine check with Hearts of Hope, a center for sexual trauma in Acadiana, that she later discovered her second daughter was also a survivor of sexual violence.
“To know that it was both of them. I was angry, I was hurt but I was angry because as a mother, I was supposed to protect my children and I didn’t do that. Not only was I angry at him, I was angry at myself,” she said.
Unfortunately, the mother knows all too well what her daughters are going through. She shared with KATC that she is also a survivor of sexual assault. “Around the same age, I was molested and I told my mom and she didn't believe me. The same thing, she didn’t believe me. And it was kind of like you’re a kid you don’t know what you’re talking about. So with my daughter I made sure to not make that same mistake, I made sure to be her voice and I was, and I still am,” she said.
Hearts of Hope coordinator Lacey Pitre says it’s common for parents to take the blame themselves. “Parents do feel guilty in many cases. A lot of them say, I should have known I should have picked up on the signs. But sometimes you're just no signs because of the grooming aspect because perpetrators are so good at what they do,” Pitre said.
In a statement sent to KATC, Kibodeaux’s attorney stated, Pursuant to the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article 1 section 13 of the Louisiana Constitution, everyone has a right to counsel when charged with a crime that potentially carries jail time. 15th Judicial District Assistant Public Defenders Austin R. Freeman and JaVonna R. Charles represented Mr. Bryan Kibodeaux. The State of Louisiana grossly overcharged Mr. Kibodeaux with six Counts of 1st Degree Rape, 6 Counts of Molestation of a Juvenile, 6 counts of Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile, and 5 Counts of Sexual Battery of a Juvenile. Through zealous advocacy, Mr. Kibodeaux was acquitted (found not guilty) of 4 counts of 1st Degree Rape, 2 counts of Molestation of a Juvenile, all 6 counts of Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile, and 4 counts of Sexual Battery. While the defense team is encouraged by Judge Thomas Frederick’s carefully considered verdict of Not Guilty, as to 16 of the Counts, an appeal of pretrial motion rulings and of the 7 convictions from trial, will likely follow.
This year, her two daughters and the three child took the stand and testified in this case.
Living with this horrific experience has disrupted this family forever. “We don’t go anywhere, we stay inside, and it’s because I want my babies safe and I know that’s not how you’re supposed to live but he’s ruined our lives, he’s taken their innocence, he’s taken, he’s taken their integrity, and we will never know who are children would have been if he never did this to him,” she said.
She tells KATC that she’s trying to pick up the pieces, hoping for a better tomorrow. “This was a scary process and all we can do is give faith, give faith, let faith, give it to God and let everything do what it’s supposed to.”
At the time of his arrest, Vermilion Parish Sheriff officials confirmed that Kibodeaux had almost 18 years of service. Following the investigation, he was terminated.
If you or anyone you know needs help, contact Hearts of Hope 24-hour crisis line at 337-233-7273.
