In a court ruling that has brought a measure of closure to an egregious case of child abuse, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Alyson Lewis handed down a sentence of 240 years to life to Robert Grell for multiple counts of sexual assault against children. According to details released by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, the jury found Grell guilty of 12 counts of forcible lewd acts upon a child and eight counts of sex acts with a child under 10 years old.
Grell's abhorrent crimes were committed over a period where his young victims, aged between 5 and 10, were subjected to forced oral copulation, fondling and attempted penetration; Grell used candy and ice cream to bribe one of the young girls and warned her against revealing the abuse to anyone, his manipulation obscured the heinousness of these acts even as he perpetrated them. The Sacramento DA's office reported that another victim testified Grell molested her at similar young ages and revisited his crimes upon her at 14 years old.
The sentencing reflects the severity of Grell's crimes, although under California law, Grell will be eligible for an Elder Parole hearing once he reaches the age of 50 and has served a minimum of 20 years; this is an approximation that takes into account the in-custody credits already amassed by Grell, pinning his potential parole time at around 18 years.
