Syracuse, NY - A Nedrow man was sentenced this morning to serve 68 years to life in state prison for sexually molesting a little girl over a period of eight years. Jason Slishevsky maintained he was innocent of any criminal wrongdoing. But Onondaga County Judge Anthony Aloi said a jury of 12 people heard all the evidence and found Slishevsky...
Syracuse, NY - A Nedrow man was sentenced this morning to serve 68 years to life in state prison for sexually molesting a little girl over a period of eight years.
Jason Slishevsky maintained he was innocent of any criminal wrongdoing. But Onondaga County Judge Anthony Aloi said a jury of 12 people heard all the evidence and found Slishevsky guilty June 11.
"You took the memories of what should have been her wonderful, carefree childhood years and turned them into a nightmare," Aloi said.
The judge told Slishevsky, 35, of Gibson Road, he should be ashamed of himself.
Aloi sentenced Slishevsky to the maximum penalty of 25 years to life in state prison for the most serious charge of predatory sexual assault against a child. The judge then added a consecutive 8-year sentence for first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child and consecutive 7-year sentences for each of two counts of second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child and three counts of second-degree criminal sexual act.
Slishevsky appeared to shake his head in disbelief at the magnitude of the sentence imposed.
After the jury convicted Slishevsky in June, Assistant District Attorney Janet Fall said the defendant began sexually abusing the victim when she was in second grade and the abuse continued until last year when the girl was in ninth grade and finally disclosed what had been happening to her.
The prosecutor said the incidents occurred during the school year when the victim was living with her mother who was Slishevsky's girlfriend. It stopped when the girl lived with her father each summer, Fall said.
"I did not do anything to this girl," Slishevsky told Aloi in court this morning. "I am innocent."
He said he had not been willing to plead guilty to avoid a trial because he would not admit to something he did not do and he thought a jury would exonerate him.
Fall asked Aloi to impose the maximum penalties and run them consecutively for the different crimes involved over the course of the victim's ordeal. Defense lawyer Susan Carey asked for the minimum penalty, which would have been 10 years to life in prison for the predatory sexual assault charge.
Aloi told Slishevsky the jury had spoken with its guilty verdict.
He also said the defendant's conduct had the potential to "shatter" the victim's life. But the judge said the girl appeared to be strong and he said he hoped she would get the necessary counseling to help her survive the ordeal and get on with her life.
Aloi then referred to the case of John Jamelski, a DeWitt man the judge sent to prison several years ago for holding numerous women and girls hostage as sexual slaves in a dungeon under his home.
The judge said what Slishevksy had done was not much different. He said the defendant essentially held the victim hostage in his home for years because the girl was afraid to reveal what was happening out of fear that would destroy her family and eliminate Slishevsky as the financial supporter of the family.
A large group of spectators was in court for the sentencing in support of Slishevsky. Aloi noted he had been alerted to the possibility some of those spectators planned to disrupt the court proceedings even if they then had to pay a fine.
But the judge bluntly warned the people in court that if there was any disruption of his courtroom, people would be taken into custody and given jail sentences - not fines - if convicted.
There was no disruption in the courtroom after the judge's warning.