The Brief Juan Gregorio Francisco, 66, was sentenced Friday to four consecutive life terms plus 84 years in prison for sexually abusing a child, prosecutors announced. A Cherokee County jury convicted Francisco of nine felony counts, including rape, child molestation and human trafficking. Canton police launched the investigation in April 2026 after the 10-year-old victim's grandmother discovered evidence of the assault.



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
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