A Lawrenceville man has been convicted of raping and molesting a preteen girl that his grandmother babysat, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office said.
Following his trial, Ruben Valenzuela Alvarado, 24, was sentenced to life in prison, with the stipulation that the first 25 years must be served in prison.
Alvarado eas convicted March 22 after a week-long trial. A jury was hung on charges of aggravated child molestation and criminal attempt to commit child molestation. Alvarado was acquitted of one count of statutory rape.
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The victim’s brother discovered text messages between the victim and Alvarado in June 2015, leading the victim to tell her mother and brother that Alvarado had sexually abused her, the DA’s office said. The victim’s brother then posed as the victim over text messages. In those conversations, Alvarado tried to entice the victim to perform sex acts, according to the DA’s office.
The victim gave a “very detailed” interview to police about the sexual abuse, the DA’s office said. A police investigation revealed that Alvarado deleted evidence from his phone after an interview with officers.
After his conviction, Alvarado was sentenced to life in prison by Judge Karen Beyers.
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