What It Took to Get Two Life Sentences Plus 120 Years
“Any time a small child has to face their abuser in court is particularly difficult,” said the prosecutor, Cobb County Assistant District Attorney Katie Gropper. “We are always hopeful that the judicial process is an empowering step towards healing."
October 02, 2018 at 02:38 PM
2 minute read
Two life sentences plus 120 years is a long sentence even for Cobb County, the conservative suburban stronghold northwest of Atlanta where judicial candidates succeed when they run on “lock 'em up” rhetoric. But the facts of the case explain it.
The conviction was rape. Of a 4-year-old child. Repeatedly over two years. It finally stopped because she worked up the courage to tell, when she was 5. She had to face him in court and testify against him, clutching a toy stuffed animal.
On Friday, after a weeklong trial before Senior Judge Grant Brantley, a Cobb County Superior Court jury convicted Frederick Wade Sherwood, 48, of all charges, including rape, aggravated sodomy and child molestation. Sherwood was sentenced the same day.
The attacks took place between 2014 and 2015 in Sherwood's Delk Road apartment, according to a news release Tuesday from District Attorney Vic Reynolds. The child disclosed the abuse to family members in early 2016. On the witness stand, she testified she didn't tell anyone about the abuse sooner because she was scared the defendant would be mad at her.
“Any time a small child has to face their abuser in court is particularly difficult,” said the prosecutor, Cobb County Assistant District Attorney Katie Gropper, in the news release. “We are always hopeful that the judicial process is an empowering step towards healing. While we can't undo the harm the defendant caused to this child, the jury's verdict will help bring a sense of justice and closure and ensure that Mr. Sherwood can never harm another child in our community.”
Another witness also testified to being sexually abused years earlier in another city by the same man. That survivor was a boy.
Sherwood has been in custody since May 2016. He's being defended by Marietta attorneys Gary Walker and Kevin Connor. They did not immediately return calls for comment.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllFederal Court Rejects Plaintiff's Attempt to Amend Claims Against Weapons Manufacturer
On the Move: Freeman Mathis & Gary Promotes 16 to Partner, Expands to Denver
5 minute readCensorship or Security Measure? TikTok Ban Pits Civil Liberties Groups Against US Officials
Trending Stories
- 1Data Breach Lawsuit Against Byte Federal Among 1,500 Targeting Companies in 2024
- 2Counterfeiters Ride Surge in Tabletop Games’ Popularity, Challenging IP Owners to Keep Up
- 3Health Care Data Breach Class Actions Saw December Surge in NY Courts
- 4Florida Supreme Court Disbars 3, Suspends 11, Reprimands 1 in Final Disciplinary Order of 2024
- 5Chief Justice Roberts Ends Year With Defense Against 'Illegitimate' Attacks on Judiciary
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250