By Joe Johnson
A Superior Court jury has found an Athens man guilty on all counts for raping a 14-year-old girl three years ago.
The criminal case had involved Georgia's first violation of Marsy's Law, which protects victims rights,
At the conclusion of a four-day trial the jury on Thursday needed just 45 minutes to find 43-year-old Michael Lareco Daniel guilty of rape, aggravated sexual battery, incest, child molestation, battery, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Judge Thomas L. Hodges III imposed a sentence of life plus 50 years in prison.
According to court records, Daniel raped his juvenile victim in 2021, when she was 14 years old. He supplied her with alcohol and drugs, records show, and the battery charge was from him dragging the girl by the hair and striking her in the face and head.
The case was tried by Alcovy Judicial Circuit District Attorney Randy McGinley, who took over after Deborah Gonzalez withdrew due to a violation of Marsy's Law.
The violation was from Gonzalez previously dismissing the case against Daniel without notifying the victim's family.
The case was subsequently reindicted, with McGinley as the prosecutor.