Cherokee County man sentenced over 3 domestic violence incidents in single month
Raphael Fraga
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. - A Cherokee County judge has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison and 25 years of probation over multiple domestic violence incidents involving his girlfriend, officials say.
On Feb. 2, a jury convicted 40-year-old Raphael P. Fraga of family violence aggravated assault, cruelty to children in the first degree, false imprisonment, and other charges.
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According to officials, law enforcement agents were called three times to Fraga's home in less than a month.
On Dec. 18, 2020, deputies responded to a call that Fraga had lit a notebook on fire and threw it on his girlfriend while she was lying in bed. Afterward, officials say he had sent her angry text messages and went into a closet with a belt around his neck.
Nine days later, deputies say they were called to the home when Fraga allegedly hid his girlfriend's phone while she was sleeping, grabbed her, and pulled her downstairs. Her daughter came home to check on her mother and called 911 after learning what happened. The phone was later found in the refrigerator.
After that incident, Fraga was arrested. He was granted bond on Dec. 30, 2020 on the condition that he have no contact with the victims. Officials say he violated that order after posting bond on Jan. 14, 2021. Within hours, officials say they were called back to the home.
In this incident, deputies say Fraga slapped his girlfriend in the face and strangled her. Detectives found Fraga hiding in his neighbor's attack and took him into custody after a standoff.
After his second arrest, officials say they learned about a video taken earlier of Fraga brandishing a knife toward his victim, which officials say made her afraid if she tried to leave "he would follow through on prior threats to kill her."
"This man did everything he could to isolate his girlfriend from people who cared about her. She was completely under his power and control and felt she had nowhere to turn and no way to escape," said Elliot Stone, who co-prosecuted the case for the State. "During one incident, he took a video of himself intimidating and threatening her as she sat on the floor, trapped. That video became a key piece of evidence in this case, providing the jury with a unique perspective of the abuse this victim endured at the hands of the defendant."
On Feb. 9, 2022, a judge sentenced Fraga to 40 years with the first 15 in prison. After his release, Fraga must adhere to probation conditions including receiving a mental health evaluation and treatment, completing a family violence intervention program, and having no contact with the victims.
"This sentence ensures that the woman abused by this defendant has the opportunity to heal from the physical and emotional abuse she suffered. She is no longer trapped, no longer under his control, and no longer helpless. Her pleas for help have been answered," said District Attorney Shannon Wallace. "And this cycle of violence has ended."
If you or someone you know is impacted by domestic violence, authorities ask that you call the Cherokee Family Violence Center, Cherokee County's 24/7 crisis hotline at 770-479-1703, or 911 if it's an emergency.