A man has been sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted by a jury in Walker County, Georgia, of rape and molestation, according to a news release from the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit.
On April 27, a judge sentenced 25-year-old John Anthony Shiver to life in prison, with 25 years to be served without the possibility of parole. Shiver's victim was a girl "whom he had molested and raped over a five-year period from ages 6 through 11," the release stated.
The sexual assaults began in 2013, when the Shiver family moved to Catoosa County from Florida. Shiver repeatedly raped the victim over the next five years until the family settled in the Rossville area of Walker County, authorities said.
It was only after Shiver relocated to the state of Washington that the victim disclosed the abuse to the family. The incidents were then reported to the Walker County Sheriff's Office, and the victim was taken to the Child Advocacy Center for interviews and examination.
Shiver was convicted in December 2021 after a two-day trial. A roommate of Shiver testified that "they overheard the defendant talking about how to groom young children to make them more pliable for sexual abuse," according to the release.
The roommate also testified that Shiver "bragged about how he had control over a young girl."
The case was tried by Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Bruce Roberts.
- Compiled by Kiara Green