Man will serve multiple life sentences for years of raping child living next door

A Cherokee County man received multiple life sentences and almost 100 more years in prison after being convicted of raping a child multiple times over several years.

According to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office, Juan Gregorio Francisco, 66 of Canton, was found guilty of multiple counts of child molestation, rape, cruelty to children, grooming, enticing a child, sex trafficking and sexually exploiting a child.

His victim was 10-years-old.

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The Canton Police Department began its investigation in April after family members reported their child was assaulted by Francisco, who was their neighbor.

The child told her grandmother about the abuse after blood was found on her undergarments.

As part of the investigation, the DA’s office said the child showed how Francisco hurt her by using dolls to demonstrate “acts consistent with child sexual abuse.”

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Officials said the abuse took place over multiple years, escalating to rape and aggravated child molestation by the time the girl was 10.

The DA’s office said Francisco initially threatened the girl to get her to comply, then gave her gifts and money.

“He also told her he would kill her family if she told anyone,” the DA’s office said.

“This child kept a terrible secret for a long time, one she never intended to share. When her grandmother found the bloody undergarments, the child finally had the courage to tell what was really happening,” Assistant District Attorney David Bailey said in a statement.

Francisco’s crimes didn’t stop at his neighbor.

During their investigation, Canton police detectives found a video on Francisco’s phone showing him assaulting the girl.

“What this man did can only be described as evil, and this child is going to have to live with that for the rest of her life,” Bailey said.

Prosecutors urged the court to impose the maximum sentence against Francisco, citing the lasting impact on his victim.

Francisco’s defense counsel recommended he be sentenced to serve 25 years, followed by probation and registering as a sex offender, which the DA’s office said is the minimum sentence for his charges.

A Cherokee County judge sentenced Francisco to four consecutive life sentences, the first two to be served without parole, followed by 85 years with 84 to be served in prison and one on probation, the maximum sentence.

Francisco was also ordered by the court to not have contact with the victim or her family and to abide by the conditions of sex offender probation.

In an impact statement from the child, read by the state in court, Francisco’s victim said that while the case was going through court, “I was scared but now that it’s closed I feel happy. I feel safe to go out and play with my friends.”

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