Following a trial that concluded on August 14, Carl Nelson was found guilty of severe sexual offenses involving a child and an adult, as reported by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. Nelson, who now faces a maximum potential sentence of 385 years to life in prison, was convicted on multiple counts including three counts of forcible lewd acts upon a child, four counts of lewd acts upon a child and one count of forcible oral copulation.
The incidents span years, with a September 2017 situation where Nelson forced an adult male to engage in oral copulation under the threat of gun violence, warning the victim of potential murder if the assault was disclosed and the jury found true allegations that there were multiple child victims and that one of the victims was under the age of 14. In a separate and chilling reveal from February, it came to light that Nelson molested another victim over a period spanning when the child was 6 to 11 years old, with Nelson coercively instructing her to keep silent about the abuse.
Another aspect of Nelson's legal troubles includes the court's pending decision on whether his past strike conviction for burglary will factor into his sentencing, a decision that will be made during the sentencing hearing. The hearing for sentencing is scheduled for October 25, where Nelson will be sentenced by Honorable Maryanne Gilliard at 1:30 p.m. in Department 12, this schedule was detailed by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.
Deputy District Attorney Wynn Tran of the Special Assault & Child Abuse Unit, who prosecuted the case, outlined the grievous nature of Nelson's felonies and the district attorney's commitment to bringing perpetrators of such horrendous acts to justice.
