Canton man sentenced to 4 life terms for raping 10-year-old
Juan Gregorio Francisco, 66, was sentenced to four consecutive life terms plus 84 years in prison after a Cherokee County jury convicted him of nine felony counts, including rape and child molestation, according to the Cherokee County District Attorn
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. - A 66-year-old Canton man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a judge sentenced him to four consecutive life terms plus 84 years for sexually abusing a 10-year-old neighbor, prosecutors said.
What we know:
A Cherokee County judge handed down the sentence to Juan Gregorio Francisco on Friday following his conviction on all nine counts a day earlier, according to the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
Jurors found Francisco guilty of rape, aggravated child molestation, cruelty to children, grooming, false imprisonment, sexual exploitation of children and human trafficking for sexual servitude. The judge ordered the first two life sentences to be served without the possibility of parole.
The backstory:
The Canton Police Department opened an investigation in April 2026 after family members reported the abuse, prosecutors said. The child disclosed the assaults after her grandmother discovered blood on her clothes, the district attorney's office said.
According to prosecutors, the abuse spanned multiple years and escalated to rape both before and after the child turned 10 years old. Investigators said Francisco initially threatened to kill the child's family if she told anyone, and later used cash and gifts to gain compliance.
During the investigation, detectives recovered video evidence on Francisco's phone documenting the sexual assault. Prosecutors presented the video, forensic interview recordings and testimony from 12 witnesses during the four-day trial.
What they're saying:
At sentencing, prosecutors read a victim impact statement from the young girl describing her relief after the trial concluded.
"While this case was open, I was scared but now that it’s closed I feel happy," the child said in her statement. "I feel safe to go out and play with my friends."
Assistant District Attorney David Bailey, who prosecuted the case, emphasized the severity of the crimes and the girl's courage to speak up.
"This child kept a terrible secret for a long time, one she never intended to share," Bailey said. "When her grandmother found the bloody undergarments, the child finally had the courage to tell what was really happening. 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."
District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said the prison term ensures the defendant will never harm another child.
"At a time when this child should have been playing with her friends and enjoying the carefree joys of childhood, this defendant chose to exploit and terrorize her," Treadaway said. "This sentence acknowledges the profound harm he caused and ensures other children are protected from him".
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released the child's identity to protect the privacy of the victim and her family.
The Source: Information in this article was gathered from a press release issued by District Attorney of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit.