Acworth man gets three life sentences for sexually assaulting young relative

An Acworth man convicted of sexually assaulting a young relative multiple times over nearly a decade will spend the rest of his life in prison. 

On April 24, a Cobb County jury took less than two hours to convict Gabriel Alvarez of all charges related to his case. That included multiple counts of rape, incest and child molestation, as well as cruelty to children in the first degree, aggravated child molestation, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, aggravated sodomy, and interference with government property.

On Wednesday, Cobb County Superior Court Judge Gregory Poole sentenced Alvarez to three consecutive life sentences plus 20 years. 

The district attorney's office said Alvarez started assaulting the victim when she was just 8 years old. 

“From the time this child was eight years old, she was forced to endure years of the most egregious sexual abuse imaginable, to include being repeatedly raped, forced to perform oral sex and forced to watch pornography, all at the hands of someone who should’ve cared for and protected her. His actions were compounded by a family who refused to protect this child, and instead chose to protect her abuser,” said ADA Courtney Veal last month. “This child’s strength and resilience in light of what she has lived through with no support whatsoever is truly amazing, and I’m glad the jury returned a verdict that reflects the truth.”

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