Child Molester Who Taped His Crimes Gets 80 Years in Prison

A veteran Los Angeles judge sentenced a child molester to 80 years in state prison Tuesday, saying he had “never been as shocked” as when he watched a half-hour videotape of the crimes.

Daniel Douglas Larson, 51, of Castaic, pleaded guilty in February to 10 counts of forcible lewd acts with girls under 12.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen gave Larson the maximum sentence. “I’ve never seen actions more premeditated, more planned out,” he said, after watching the tape in chambers with lawyers.

Larson, a former post office manager, was arrested last year after his 17-year-old daughter reported finding a videotape at home of her father having sex with underage girls and called authorities.

At the time, Larson told deputies that he paid a woman $200 to $300 each time she brought girls from Northridge and Canoga Park to his home to have have sex with him.

Authorities said they have never located the alleged woman, whom Larson refused to identify. And only one of the three or four girls in the tape has been identified.

As part of the plea deal, the parties agreed the sentencing judge should view the tape.

After watching it, Coen, a former prosecutor and a judge for 13 years, said, “I’ve never been as shocked as I was a half-hour ago when I saw the videotape.”

“You are a predator, sir,” he told Larson. “These children have been robbed of their innocence.”

In a brief statement, Larson, sitting at the defense table with his arms folded, apologized to two of his child victims by name and to his family.

“If you could see my heart, you could see the sorrow,” he said. “If you could see my soul, you could see the remorse.”

His attorney, Danny Davis, has already begun the appeal process. In court, he urged Coen to set the minimum sentence of 35 years so Larson could leave prison at 81.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Joe Weimortz said the video was “a gold mine” for prosecutors because Larson edited various segments together that documented his crime spree.