Ricardo Crespo’s Ex-Wife Says She ‘Never Doubted’ Her Daughter’s Sexual Abuse Allegations
In a case that has shocked the world and made many realize abusers can be the people you least expect, ex-Garibaldi band member and actor Ricardo Crespo, 46, was sentenced to 19 years in prison for sexually abusing his daughter, Valentina, 15. As per court documents, Crespo sexually abused daughter Valentina from the ages of 5 to 14 years old.
Valentina Crespo revealed the horrifying abuse to her grandmother, brother, and mother María Angélica Rodríguez, a Colombian model who was married to the Garibaldi singer for 16 years, back in 2020. As per a video posted by Valentina on social media, she first asked her family to not “do anything” until she gave the OK However, “less than a month” later, she decided to press charges.
The 15-year-old said pressing charges against her father was “the best decision she’s ever made in her life,” while the law firm representing her stated: “we know it is impossible for victims of sexual violence to obtain absolute compensation for the violation of their human rights,” but that Crespo’s prison sentence will hopefully give the victim and her family a “full life.”
Still, more information is now coming to light about how Valentina Crespo and her mother Rodriguez reacted to the singer’s 19-year prison sentence. Their lawyer Sergio Ramírez explained to the show “Ventaneando” that Valentina was in attendance the day of Crespo’s sentence, and that she “stayed silent.” However, he said that she thought she looked “relieved to know that finally they believed her, that her truth was being heard.”
Ramírez also shared that they have not yet been notified about Crespo’s legal team possibly appealing the sentence.
While Valentina Crespo has not officially released a statement related to her father’s prison sentence, she shared on her Instagram stories a few photos of her mother Rodriguez on Mother’s Day. Several outlets have reported that her stories included captions like: “my best friend for life,” “I love you,” and “my example.”
Meanwhile, Rodriguez revealed her reaction to finding out about her daughter’s longtime abuse on the show “Venga La Alegría.” She said, “I wanted her to feel that she had someone to protect her, which was me” and then “I congratulated her for her courage in telling me.”
Rodriguez explained, “I thanked [Valentina] for trusting me, and I never doubted for a second what she was telling me.” About signs that would point to possible sexual abuse, Rodriguez said many times children become shy or introverted — that was not the case for her daughter. Instead, the model says Valentina would often get sick, and she now sees it had an emotional component.
She also said that it “has not been easy” for her daughter to come forward, and that she has both good and bad days. But she has had so much “courage,” “strength” and “resilience” throughout the process, and that she wants to help other women going through similar abuse in the future.
The model also said that now is the time to “take the mask off abusers to take away all their power over abused children.”
