Three Consecutive Life Sentences For Austell Child Rapist

MARIETTA, GA — An Austell man who repeatedly raped and sodomized a child has been sentenced to three consecutive life sentences.

On Wednesday, a Cobb jury convicted Rasheed Murjan Thomas, 32, of rape and two counts of aggravated child molestation. This was Thomas’s second trial on the charges. At his first trial in April 2015, jurors deliberated for nearly a week before conceding they could not reach a verdict.

The abuse occurred over about two years while the girl was 10 and 11. She initially disclosed the abuse to Cynthia Thomas, who testified that she “checked” the girl and saw no evidence of the abuse and then did nothing. The child later disclosed to relatives, who alerted authorities in 2010.

The victim, who is now 17, testified at both trials.

“This verdict absolutely speaks the truth,” said ADA Lindsay Gardner, who prosecuted the case during both trials. “It took many years, but I am relieved that the citizens of Cobb County stood up for this young woman. She can finally put this phase of her life behind her and continue moving forward.”

Immediately after the verdict, Cobb Superior Court Senior Judge G. Grant Brantley sentenced Thomas to three life sentences, each to run consecutively.

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