A Cherokee County man convicted of raping and molesting two girls was sentenced to life in prison this month.
Chief Superior Court Judge Ellen McElyea handed down the life sentence against Juan Raymundo-Lopez during a Feb. 4 hearing, Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace said in a news release.
A jury found the 37-year-old Canton man guilty of rape, child molestation, sexual battery and battery family violence following a three-day trial that ended Dec. 6.
Cherokee deputies arrested Raymundo-Lopez in August 2019 after they received multiple allegations that he was abusing the victims both physically and sexually.
Both girls testified against Raymundo-Lopez during last year’s trial, and it took jurors just an hour of deliberations to find him guilty on all charges, according to a spokesperson from the District Attorney’s Office.
“This defendant manipulated these children to ensure they kept silent and threatened further violence if they told anyone what was going on,” Wallace said in the release. “I am in awe of their bravery for finally reaching out to law enforcement to report the abuse.
“With this verdict and sentencing, these young victims will no longer have to live in fear of this man,” she added.
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