Cedar City man convicted of child rape sentenced to at least 75 years in prison

Fifth District Courthouse, Cedar City, Utah, April 15, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — A 33-year-old Cedar City man convicted of child rape has been sentenced to at least 75 years in prison.

Santiago Lorenzo Sebastian was found guilty of three counts of rape of a child, each count being a first-degree felony, in a three-day jury trial that ended in Cedar City on Oct. 29, and during his sentencing hearing Monday afternoon, Sebastian was ordered to serve three terms of 25 years to life, with 5th District Judge Matthew L. Bell ruling that the three terms be served consecutively.

The charges stemmed from multiple incidents first reported in April 2019 that Sebastian had raped a young teenage family member. He was arrested shortly thereafter and has been held at the Iron County Jail since then.

“I feel very sorry for the damage caused to the persons involved in this crime,” Sebastian told the court on Monday via an interpreter, before his sentence was handed down. 

“I have learned a lot in the two and a half years that I have been here, and while I am in prison, I will try to learn and become a good person … like the very best person that I can,” Sebastian added.

Appearing via videoconference from Iron County Jail, Santiago Lorenzo Sebastian awaits his sentencing, Cedar City, Utah, Dec. 6, 2021 | Screenshot image courtesy of 5th District Court, St. George News / Cedar City News

Although the defense had asked that the sentences run concurrently, prosecutors argued that the egregious nature of the crime called for the maximum allowable penalty.

“The gravity and circumstances of these offenses are uniquely appalling and warrant a consecutive sentence,” prosecuting attorney Trajan Evans told the court. 

“The defendant minimizes his conduct and shifts blame on alcohol for raping (the girl) on at least three separate occasions,” Evans said, adding that in addition to the harm done to the young teenager, the defendant’s actions “have torn the entire family apart.”

“At trial, we saw many family members that have taken the defendant’s side, despite overwhelming evidence,” he said, adding that the situation has caused the teen and her own immediate family to feel alienated and unsupported.

Evans said the defendant’s actions have also caused the girl to be mistrustful of men in general.

Before the sentence was imposed, both the girl and her mother also briefly addressed the court via videoconference, tearfully speaking of the emotional pain they have endured.

Shortly thereafter, the court imposed the sentence and ordered that the terms run consecutively, meaning it will likely be several decades before Sebastian is eligible for release. The exact amount of time served will be determined by the state Board of Pardons, Bell noted.

The judge waived all fines and fees associated with the sentencing, but he did order Sebastian to pay more than $1,600 in restitution, payable to the Office for Victims of Crime.

Bell told Sebastian that he had “preyed upon her (the girl) to satisfy your own perverse desires.”

As the hearing concluded, Sebastian was remanded to the custody of the Utah Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence at the Utah State Prison.

After the hearing, Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson told Cedar City News that he believed justice had been served.

“The victims can now breathe and start to heal,” Dotson added. “Sebastian will no longer have the ability to hurt others in our community.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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