Lawrenceville man found guilty in aggravated child molestation case

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  November 12, 2024 4:51pm EST
FOX 5 Atlanta

The Brief

    • Catalino Avilez-Carteno, 52, was found guilty of multiple sexual abuse charges including rape, child molestation, and aggravated assault by a Gwinnett County jury.
    • The victims provided emotional testimony detailing how Avilez-Carteno abused them from the ages of 12 to 21 without their consent.
    • During the trial, it was revealed that Avilez-Carteno once attempted to stab a family member in front of the victims after they reported him.
    • The District Attorney emphasized the long-term abuse suffered by the young women and expressed hope that the verdict would help in their healing process.
    • Avilez-Carteno's sentencing is scheduled for Thursday.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - A Lawrenceville man was found guilty of sexually abusing two young women for years.

Catalino Avilez-Carteno, 52, was found guilty by a Gwinnett County jury of five counts of rape, five counts of aggravated sexual battery, four counts of child molestation, two counts of aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, and aggravated assault.

During the week-long trial, the jury heard emotional testimony from both victims, who were acquainted with Avilez-Carteno from ages 12 to 21. They told jurors they never consented to the abuse.

"This defendant abused these young women from an early age into adulthood," District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said.

They described how, when the two victims reported Avilez-Carteno during a drunken rage, he attempted to stab a family member in their presence. 

"We pray that the justice brought from this verdict will aid in their healing from this abuse," Austin-Gatson said.

He will be sentenced on Thursday.

The Source: The details in this case were provided by the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office and verified through records in the Gwinnett County Superior Court.