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Modesto man sentenced for sexually abusing developmentally disabled boy
Modesto Bee (CA) - 6/30/2016
June 30--A judge this week sentenced a 55-year-old Modesto man to 50 years to life in prison for sexually abusing a 7-year-old developmentally disabled boy.
A jury on March 16 found Santiago Casontos guilty of two counts of sodomy on a child younger than 10. The victim, his mother, his grandmother and a social worker testified at the trial.
During her victim impact statement on June 20, the victim's mother told the judge how much her son has suffered and the emotional turmoil he undergoing now in dealing with the lasting trauma, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Annette Rees, who prosecuted the case.
Casontos met the victim's mother at a local park and befriended her, eventually moving in to live with her and her family in their home.
Prosecutors said the defendant sodomized the victim twice in April 2012 while the boy's mother and grandmother were away. The boy told his grandmother immediately.
A sexual assault examination showed evidence of trauma. The defendant was confronted and confessed, but he claimed the child had initiated the sexual acts, according to Rees. Casontos was arrested and formally charged.
In October 2014, Casontos' competency to stand trial came into question due to cognitive disabilities. A jury convened solely for that issue in April 2015 and found the defendant competent to stand trial.
A Casontos sentencing hearing Monday, Rees argued that each incident of sodomy should be punished based on the position of trust that the defendant violated, the victim's vulnerability and because each act of sexual abuse was violent and occurred over two days.
The prosecutor told the judge that Casontos had 24 hours after the first sexual assault of the boy to contemplate what he had done and stop his attacks. Instead, Rees said the defendant sexually assaulted the boy again.
Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Marie Silveira agreed with the prosecution and handed down consecutive sentences to Casontos for each count. Rees said if Casontos is released from prison on parole, he will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
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