A metro Atlanta man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he beat, raped, choked and physically restrained two girls, DeKalb County officials said.
Russell Cook, 56, of Ellenwood, was sentenced to seven life sentences plus 89 years — a total of 299 years — and one year of probation after a jury convicted him Wednesday morning on multiple charges including child molestation, rape and cruelty to children, DeKalb district attorney spokeswoman Yvette F. Jones said in a news release.
Cook first abused the victims, then 10 and 14, in 2009. The sexual assaults occurred for two years before one of the children told a neighbor, who called police, DeKalb officials said.
During the investigation, officers found that Cook sexually assaulted them “often after physically restraining, beating and choking the defenseless victims,” Jones said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does not identify sexual assault victims.
Cook was also convicted of aggravated sexual battery and aggravated child molestation.
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