A 25-year-old man convicted in a child sexual abuse case is again scheduled for sentencing Friday after the hearing was continued one week last Friday at the request of the defense.
Salvador Araujo-Gutierrez was found guilty of one count of rape and one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. However, the indecent liberties count is an alternate count to the rape, meaning he can only be sentenced on one. The one count of rape falls under Jessica’s law meaning he’s looking at a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
There is a special setting scheduled for the case because of defense motions filed in the case which no doubt will seek a departure.
The jury couldn’t find Araujo-Gutierrez guilty on four other counts involving this case, where the state alleged that three encounters occurred between 2006 and 2011, but they could find guilt for an incident in the basement of a Hutchinson home. That’s where they found his DNA from a stain on new carpeting. The child had pointed out where that stain might be which wasn’t able to be detected by the naked eye. However, the KBI tested the fibers of the carpet and discovered the DNA matched the defendant.
The defendant had first claimed the stain wasn’t his, then later claimed that the stain was his, but it happened when he had an affair with the victims mother. But, the mother of the victim denies that ever happened.
Sentencing is scheduled in front of Judge Tim Chambers.