A Gwinnett County jury convicted 59-year-old Alejandro Rangel of aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery and five counts of child molestation, capping a case that began when a 14-year-old girl told her family what had been happening to her. Rangel, a Norcross man, was sentenced to life in prison plus one year of probation after jurors deliberated for about two hours before finding him guilty on all counts.
Prosecutors said Rangel sexually abused the teenager over roughly two months in 2024, starting in May and continuing sporadically through June, according to the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office. Officials say the abuse began in May 2024, when Rangel started touching the teenager inappropriately and against her will. The girl eventually reported what was happening to family members, who in turn contacted Norcross police, setting the criminal case in motion.
Girl's Testimony Central to Conviction
At trial, the teenager testified that Rangel had touched her inside her pants, according to the same county release. Rangel offered investigators a different account, telling them he may have touched her while “tickling her too close” to her breasts, per the district attorney's office. Jurors convicted him on all seven counts after weighing the evidence for about two hours.
As reported by CBS News Atlanta, Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said she was grateful for the trial outcome. The case was prosecuted by Special Victims Unit Assistant District Attorneys Mikaela Henderson and Kathy Li, with assistance from SVU Investigator Michael Bednarz and SVU Victim Witness Advocate Rocio Pineda, the district attorney's office said.
Life Sentence Plus Probation
Rangel was sentenced to life in prison plus one year of probation after being convicted of aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery and five counts of child molestation. The case was also covered by FOX 5 Atlanta, which reported on the family's report, the police investigation and the conviction.
