A registered sex offender was convicted Monday of sexually abusing a young girl and possessing child pornography, after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.
Jurors deliberated for roughly 2.5 hours before finding Ronald Melvin McKenzie, 68, guilty of five counts of lewd act on a child and four counts each of oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years old or younger and possession of child pornography after a prior conviction, according to the District Attorney's Office.
The sanity phase of trial, which will be overseen by a judge rather than a jury, is set to begin Wednesday.
McKenzie, who has been jailed since his arrest in 2017, has a 1990 child molestation conviction, according to the criminal complaint.
Deputy District Attorney Presciliano Duran said McKenzie began sexually abusing a young girl in 2013, then molested her again from July to September of 2017.
Police found multiple images of child pornography when they searched electronic devices belonging to McKenzie.
McKenzie was arrested at his San Gabriel home after officers responded to a report of suspected child abuse received from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
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"During the initial investigation, numerous images of a sexual nature depicting minors were found on the suspect's computer and cellphone," said San Gabriel police Lt. Brian Kott around the time of McKenzie's arrest. "At least one minor depicted in the photos was confirmed as also being a victim of sexual abuse."
