A Durham man who sexually abused two children in his family’s circle of friends has pleaded guilty and is now facing a long stretch behind bars. In Durham County Superior Court on Thursday, he admitted to multiple sex crimes under a plea deal that carries more than a decade in prison, a case that has drawn emotional victim statements and renewed attention on how hard it can be for children to come forward.
In court, 35-year-old Nathan Gilgor pleaded guilty to two counts of taking indecent liberties with children and to a forcible second-degree sex offense. In exchange, prosecutors dropped four additional charges, according to The News & Observer. Judge John Dunlow accepted the plea agreement and set a prison term within the negotiated range. Court filings describe the victims as family friends and say the abuse stretched over multiple years.
One victim, a 10-year-old, told prosecutors she had been abused since at least January 2021 but kept quiet because Gilgor threatened her, according to court records. The other victim, an 8-year-old family friend, disclosed the abuse to her parents, and that report triggered the police investigation that led to Gilgor’s 2024 arrest. The children and their families are shielded by court orders that bar contact and by the court’s decision not to identify them publicly.
How the case unfolded
Durham police arrested Gilgor on Sept. 18, 2024, in the 900 block of Cheviot Avenue after detectives with the Special Victims Unit opened an investigation following the younger child’s disclosure. At the time, he was charged with multiple offenses, including statutory rape and indecent liberties with a child, and was held on a $1.5 million bond, according to local coverage from the arrest. Those early reports helped build the case that later led prosecutors to pursue plea negotiations, according to WRAL.
Sentence and legal consequences
Judge Dunlow sentenced Gilgor under the plea deal to a prison term with a minimum of 10 years and six months and a maximum of 19 years and three months. The court also ordered him to register as a sex offender for 30 years and barred any contact with the victims or their parents as part of the judgment. Prosecutors told the court the punishment reflected the seriousness of the crimes while locking in protections for the children going forward, as reported by The News & Observer.
Defense and background
According to court records, Gilgor initially denied the allegations when questioned by police. His attorney, public defender Matthew Cook, urged the court to consider Gilgor’s background, saying he "was physically and emotionally abused by his stepfather and emotionally abused by his mother" and arguing that past trauma contributed to PTSD. Cook also noted that Gilgor has two children of his own, including one who was about 10 weeks old when he was arrested in 2024.
What to know locally
Officials and news outlets are withholding the victims’ names to protect their privacy, and court filings from prosecutors repeatedly stress confidentiality. Earlier coverage asked anyone with information about the case to contact the Durham Police Special Victims Unit or CrimeStoppers, which published contact details for tipsters. Local survivor services were also highlighted in reports on the original arrest as resources for families affected by abuse, according to WRAL.
