A Sacramento County man now stares down a potential 675-years-to-life prison term after a jury on Tuesday convicted him of 27 counts of child sexual assault tied to two young victims.
The defendant, Arthuron Warren, was found guilty of abusing two girls between January 2015 and August 2020, when they were 6 and 12 years old, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors said one of the girls was assaulted weekly and that the abuse escalated to forced sexual intercourse. They also alleged the second victim endured three years of abuse that culminated in sexual intercourse and sodomy, and that Warren threatened to kill her and her family if she reported him. The first victim did not disclose the abuse until adulthood, which authorities say prompted investigators to uncover the second case.
What jurors heard
In court, prosecutors described a years-long pattern of grooming, repeated assaults and terrorizing threats that, they argued, kept both victims silent. Jurors were told the abuse escalated over time, progressing to forced intercourse and other sexual acts over several years, reporting by FOX40 says. Fear of retaliation, the prosecution maintained, played a central role in why the allegations surfaced only much later.
Sentence and next steps
Warren now faces a maximum term of 675 years to life in state prison. His sentencing is scheduled for August 28, at 9:00 AM in Department 9A before Judge Bunmi Awoniyi, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Josue Fuentes of the Special Assault & Child Abuse Unit. At the sentencing hearing, the court is also expected to address allegations that Warren has two prior strike convictions for residential burglary, a factor the DA notes could substantially increase any final term.
Legal notes
If the court finds Warren’s prior convictions qualify as strikes, California law allows for significant sentence enhancements. Two or more qualifying prior felonies can expose a defendant to an indeterminate term and minimums such as 25 years to life for subsequent convictions. The rules for those enhancements are laid out in Penal Code section 667, California Penal Code §667.
