Zappa Bassist Convicted for Child Abuse

Roy Estrada performs with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention on 'Beat Club.'

Petra Niemeier - K & K/Redferns

Former Frank Zappa bassist Roy Estrada has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars for molesting a child younger than 14 over an extended period of time. Estrada, 68, abused a female family member after he was released from a California prison for a felony offense of committing a lewd act with a child.

"The victim's family was unaware that he was a convicted sex offender," Melody McDonald, spokeswoman for the Tarrant County, Texas district attorney's office, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Estrada was sentenced to 25 years in a plea bargain agreement and is not eligible for parole. He will be 93 years old before he is released from prison."

Photos: Random Notes
Estrada was a member of Frank Zappa's band, the Mothers of Invention, on and off between 1964 and 1975. He also played in some lineups of the reunited, Zappa-less Mothers in the past decade. Estrada was also a founding member of Little Feat.

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