Orocio sentenced to 45 years

On Sept. 12, after three days of testimony, a Cass County jury convicted 27-year-old Gabriel Logan Orocio, of Atlanta, for the felony offenses of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child (x2) and Indecency with a Child by Contact. After additional punishment was presented to the jury, they assessed punishment at twenty-five (25) years on one Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child charge, ten (10) years on the other Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child charge, and ten (10) years on the Indecency with a Child charge. Fifth District Judge Bill Miller ordered that all of these sentences shall run consecutively, not concurrently, making this a forty-five (45) year sentence. Because of the nature of the charge, Orocio will not be eligible for parole until he has served a minimum of one-half of his sentence.

Cass County Criminal District Attorney Courtney Shelton and Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Ross presented testimony from the victim, now fifteen years of age, who was around eight or nine years old at the time of the offenses. Defendant was a live-in boyfriend of the victim’s mother at the time of the offenses, and was often responsible for keeping her and her siblings at night while their mother was at work. The jurors heard from the victim herself, and she was able to describe in detail the various ways the defendant sexually assaulted her.

Testimony from a forensic interviewer with the Cherokee County Children’s Advocacy Center and the victim’s counselor was also pivotal in securing a conviction.

Criminal District Attorney Shelton stated, “In child sexual assault cases, our kids are truly the heroes. To be able to stand up and face the monster who has been the subject of their nightmares for years, that is a true test of courage. In this case, our victim stood up and sent Gabriel Orocio a message that she is not afraid of him anymore. And our jury sent a message back with their verdict letting her know, that from now on, she does not have to be.”