DENVER — A man convicted in Denver District Court on more than a dozen charges including human trafficking and pimping involving minors was sentenced to 448 years in prison Friday.
It was an emotional moment for many inside the courtroom as the sentence was read out by the judge.
Before the 448-year sentence was handed down, victims had the chance to address Hawkins and the court. One victim told the judge she was just 13 years old when she became one of his victims, she said he was the villain of her childhood. She described him as a large, scary monster that she still hasn't recovered from.
Another victim described the terror of being unable to leave Hawkins, saying it was made clear she was his property.
After court let out, 9NEWS spoke with one of Hawkins' victims. We're not identifying her at her request.
"I will never overcome it but it feels good to actually know that I've helped get a monster, a predator, a somebody so evil off the streets by just coming forward," the victim said. "I was happy he got found guilty. The sentence, I was like I don't know any of these words that were going on. But, after the end of it, 400, over 400 years. I'm like yes!"
Nearby, sat jurors that voted to convict Hawkins on 18 counts. Among those in the courtroom was juror number 8, who asked us not to share her name.
"It was really, it meant a lot to be a part of that and know that we got to see justice today and on that day," said juror 8. "It feels like a really long time and it’s really huge. And I just think we’re all a little shocked that was even an option for that many years.”
For 15 days, she heard evidence and testimony from victims that Hawkins had forced women, men and even kids into prostitution, beating them if they tried to leave or made him mad.
"They were heartbreaking, they were really hard to hear. And they're going to carry this with them for the rest of their lives and knowing that this person isn't going to be able to cause harm to anybody else is huge," juror 8 said.
The victim we spoke with said she still carries the fear and trauma every day. She said she never expected to face her monster years after she got away. But now, she's comforted that today it's him going away and this time, for good.
"I'm happy, just glad, relieved. So now I'm going to go home and just pray and just thank God for this beautiful outcome," the victim said.
Hawkins' attorney declined to speak after Thursday's sentencing.
In the courtroom, Hawkins' attorney told the judge Hawkins wouldn't make any statement. Even before the sentence was handed down, his attorney told the judge they intended to file an appeal in the case.
Robert Hawkins, 44, was convicted in March on 18 charges, including:
- Three counts of human trafficking sexual servitude of an adult
- Four counts of pimping of an adult
- Human trafficking sexual servitude of a minor
- Pimping of a child
- Sexual assault on a child
- Two counts of first-degree assault
According to an account from a woman who reported working as a prostitute for Hawkins, he took all of the money she made from commercial sexual services and threatened to evict her, a search warrant for Hawkins' accounts says.
"She was also fearful from all of the stories he told her about beating people up and kicking them out," the warrant says.
Hawkins also told her he had other women working for him as prostitutes, the warrant says.
"He also kept on her about posting and asking her how much she was charging the sex buyers," the warrant says. "At one point, Hawkins told [the woman] that she was responsible for what the other girls were doing and how they were earning money."
She reported Hawkins said the women were required to make $500 a day, and they were required "to make a $5,000 quota to gain Hawkins' trust."
"This quota was intended to help pay for a fake identification and birth certificate in order for the girls to travel to and perform sex work in California," the warrant says.
Another victim who was 13 at the time reported Hawkins provided her alcohol and marijuana while she stayed at his apartment for three or four days, the warrant says. During that time, she said Hawkins told her he was a "self-admitted pimp" who was involved with escort advertisements.
"The girls sign up for the website, post pictures, write a caption 'saying some nasty stuff' and basically meet up with someone at a hotel and do whatever was agreed upon," the victim said.
Investigators learned that the victim came to Colorado with Hawkins in 2019 when she was 19, the affidavit says.
Hawkins was arrested in this investigation in November 2021, and he was also arrested along with the victim in 2022 in an undercover prostitution sting, the warrant says.
Despite the arrests, eight months later the victim was posting numerous online advertisements, and they were known to have been traveling between California and Texas, the affidavit says.
Another search warrant described how a man identified as Hawkins was involved in the robbery and shooting of a man who told investigators that he had paid a woman for sex and was dropping her off when the incident occurred.
The woman involved in the incident told investigators how she was prostituted by the man identified as Hawkins and refused to get out of the car of the man who was shot because she was asking him for help, the warrant says.
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