A man has been sentenced in the United States to life in prison after pleading guilty to rape of a minor, a case that at the time generated wide national attention.
Gerson Fuentes, 28, of Guatemalan origin, faced charges of raping a girl under the age of 10 in Franklin County, Ohio.
The events occurred more than a year ago and, after a confession to the authorities, the defendant was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. In addition, he will have to register as a Level 3 sex offender, he reported. NBC News.
The victim’s mother supported the guilty plea and agreed with the sentencing recommendation.
The Franklin County judge considered the crime one of the most serious and accepted the joint sentence; although she was not very satisfied.
“If that family hadn’t begged me to take this joint recommendation, this would never have happened,” he said.
Notably, the girl sought an abortion after testing positive for pregnancy and was forced to travel to Indiana, due to legal restrictions in Ohio.
Dr. Caitlin Bernard, the girl’s physician, received a reprimand and a fine for speaking publicly about the case, but was cleared of more serious charges by the Indiana Medical Licensing Board.
Ohio state law prohibits abortions after the sixth week, when the fetus is expected to begin to have a heartbeat. Although the norm was appealed, the Supreme Court of that state ruled its validity until the appeals are resolved.
