BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A Brunswick man was given three consecutive life sentences on Friday after a Glynn County jury found him guilty of several child sexual abuse charges against a 14-year-old girl, District Attorney Keith Higgins told First Coast News Monday in a press release.
Troy Rogers III was found guilty of one count of rape, two counts of aggravated child molestation and one count of child molestation, according to the release.
Higgins said the jury rendered its guilty verdicts after deliberating for only one hour. After the verdicts were returned, Superior Court Judge Roger Lane sentenced Rogers to the life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 19 years in prison, the release states.
"The evidence presented at trial showed that on March 25, 2023, the 14-year-old female victim was in her apartment making lunch when Rogers knocked on the door and told her that her stepfather owed him twenty dollars," the release states.
Higgins then mentions in the release that Rogers "pushed his way into the residence" and picked up a bat after the girl told him her parents weren't home and she didn't have any money to give him. This is when he assaulted her.
The victim "bravely confronted" Rogers during the trial and "emotionally testified" as she clutched onto a stuffed animal, Higgins said.
In Rogers' testimony, the release further states that he admitted to the criminal acts, but claimed he did not use "force." He said he looks for girls "like that," and said that he was mad because she "told on him."
Higgins said the victim continues to undergo mental health treatment as she seeks to recover from the trauma she suffered in the heinous crime.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Whitney J. Gregory and Assistant District Attorney Ada Zeno. The lead investigator was Det. Carla Futch with the Brunswick Police Department.
