MINOT – A Makoti man is facing a life sentence in the State Penitentiary without the possibility of parole following a verdict reached by a 12-person jury in North-Central District Court Thursday.
Nathaniel Sanchez, 37, listened to the reading of a guilty verdict on the AA felony charge of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. The jury received their final instructions from Judge Stacy Louser Thursday morning and returned the verdict a few hours later.
Sanchez was found guilty of sexually abusing his stepdaughter when she was as young as seven years old and continuing to do so for approximately four years.
Witnesses for the state included the victim, who testified on her 13th birthday, her mother, and grandmother. The victim told the court she finally confided in her grandmother about the abuse because she was “wanting to get help.”
The abuse allegedly occurred at Sanchez’s Makoti residence as well as in New Town. The trial began with jury selection this past Monday and was scheduled to run through Friday if necessary.
Judge Louser ordered a Pre-Sentence Investigation and set Sanchez's sentencing for May 8, 2024.
