'Courageous and brave' teen testifies against Sharpsburg man in rape case

Teen testifies against Sharpsburg man in rape case

A Coweta County man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for raping a then-17-year-old girl in 2020. The district attorney’s office says the victim’s mother not only ignored her daughter’s plea for help, but sided with her attacker and refused to turn over evidence in the case.

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - A Coweta County man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for raping a then-17-year-old girl in 2020. The district attorney’s office says the victim’s mother not only ignored her daughter’s plea for help, but sided with her attacker and refused to turn over evidence in the case.

Disturbing accusations against Brent Brown

What we know:

Investigators say that after the victim’s family refused to go to law enforcement, a friend helped her file a report, leading to the arrest of Brent Brown in 2020. He was accused of giving the 17-year-old girl alcohol laced with drugs, raping her, and then providing her with contraception the next day.

Prosecutors praise victim for speaking out

What they're saying:

The victim took the stand during the trial, and prosecutors Jillian Brasfield and Jessica Williams-Vickery said her testimony was key to Brown’s conviction.

"She did a fantastic job and was courageous and brave in communicating what happened to her," Williams-Vickery said.

The jury also heard a recording of the girl that the mother had made just after the sexual assault but never turned over to investigators.

"The jurors did comment to us afterward that they could hear the emotion in the victim’s voice," Brasfield said.

Family betrayal

Dig deeper:

Prosecutors say the girl went to her mother and maternal grandparents for help. The mother made that recording but never filed a police report or told investigators about it. District Attorney Herb Cranford says the mother and grandparents, who believed the allegations against Brown were true, were not supportive of the prosecution, and sided with him.

"At every turn they have been unwilling and uncooperative," Brasfield said.

Williams-Vickery added: "The mother had collected evidence while law enforcement was involved and didn’t voluntarily provide any of that to law enforcement."

The DA’s office says where the victim’s mother and maternal grandparents failed her, the victim’s friends, investigators, prosecution team, and jury delivered justice.

Brown's sentence

What's next:

Brown was sentenced to life in prison, and because of his past felony record, he is not eligible for parole.