July 5 (UPI) -- A 28-year-old Guatemalan national was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years after pleading guilty to raping a 10-year-old girl.
Gerson Fuentes pleaded guilty Wednesday to two rape charges stemming from the incident in Franklin County, Ohio.
Fuentes was immediately sentenced after entering the plea, as part of a pre-arranged deal with prosecutors.
The victim's family was also consulted beforehand and was in favor of the plea, under which Fuentes will not be allowed to apply for parole for a minimum of 25 years. He will also need to register as a Tier 3 sex offender if released.
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Fuentes was dating the girl's mother at the time, and the three were living in the same home in Ohio.
He was arrested last July and first scheduled to go to trial in January after pleading not guilty.
"If that family hadn't begged me to take this joint recommendation, this would never be happening," Franklin County Judie Julie Lynch told the court Wednesday.
"Anyone who's been in this courtroom for the last 20 years knows how this court feels about babies, young people, being violated."
Investigators claim Fuentes confessed to raping the girl twice when she was still nine years old, which was later confirmed by DNA evidence.
Police began investigation after the girl traveled to Indiana seeking an abortion following the rape, in a case that made national headlines after her doctor gave an interview to the Indianapolis Star following the procedure.
At the time, Ohio had just passed legislation banning abortion after six weeks, forcing the girl to head to Indianapolis for the procedure.
A similar ban took effect in Indiana at the end of June.
