TULSA, Okla. — It was one of the most bizarre sex crimes in recent Tulsa history. Now it's over, and both adults involved are headed to prison.
The 12-year-old girl showed up a Hillcrest Hospital in midtown Tulsa in July 2021 in labor.
The father-to-be apparently expected to walk out with the girl and their new bundle of joy.
"They walked in just like any other couple would, excited to deliver their newborn child," Tulsa Police Officer Danny Bean told FOX23 News in 2021.
When the child, well below the age of consent, showed up to give birth, doctors immediately called Tulsa Police to report what was happening.
Bean said officers found Juan Miranda-Jara, at the time 24-years-old, excited and bragging that he was about to be a father with the child giving birth. He said he was in a loving relationship with her and had the family's blessing.
"We don't get this kind of call every day," Bean said. "It certainly was a surprise for everyone involved."
Being arrested for rape was a surprise for Miranda-Jara because the girl's own mother, Desiree Castaneda, condoned the relationship, and she and her family threw the couple a full-blown baby shower preparing for the arrival of the newborn. FOX23 received a picture the couple took at the shower, however we have blurred the girl's face because she is a minor and victim of child sex abuse.
Miranda-Jara and the girl even linked their Facebook profiles together saying they were in a relationship.
Tulsa Police told FOX23 Miranda-Jara was initially in a relationship with the girl's mother but when things soured between the two, mom allowed Miranda-Jara to move on to her then-12-year-old daughter. Eventually, they would begin living together as a couple.
Miranda-Jara was convicted of first degree rape in March 2022. Castaneda was arrested on one count of child neglect and one count of enabling child sexual abuse. Castaneda pleaded guilty to those charges in late-September, and she is now headed to prison herself.
Castaneda's case had been in the process of heading to a jury trial, but at her last hearing in September, Castaneda pleaded guilty to both counts against her and waived her right to a trial.
A judge sentenced her to 15 years in prison, and once she is released, she must register as a sex offender. She is not required to have any supervision once she is released.
Miranda-Jara is currently in prison facing a 20-year sentence, and because the State of Oklahoma considers it to be an 85% crime, he must serve 17 years of the sentence before he is eligible for parole. He too, must register as a sex offender when released.
The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office released the following statement:
“The facts of this case are incredibly sad. Children should be able to rely on their parents for protection from people like Juan Miranda-Jara. For Desiree Castaneda to allow this to happen to her daughter is appalling. Both defendants in this case are facing the consequences of their actions and will spend time in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Our hope is the victim in this case will be able to put this awful chapter behind her.”
The girl's father was in prison for a separate sex crime and has no involvement in his daughter's life, Tulsa Police told FOX23 News at the time of the incident.
