Mother Faces Child's Molester at Sentencing

A mother faced her child's attacker at his sentencing in Suffolk County Criminal Court on Wednesday.

The mother, whose identity Patch has withheld to help protect the victim's identity, said  of East Hampton had betrayed the three victims' trust.

Speaking before Judge Barbara Kahn, she cried, but her voice was strong and clear when she said her daughter "was a joyful little girl" who has turned introverted and shy and has developed night terrors since she was sexually abused.

"She always asks me, 'Why did he do these things to me?,'" she told Lopez Gonzalez. She said all she can tell her daughter is how proud she was that she was brave enough to tell about the abuse.

Lopez Gonzalez, 28, was arrested in March 2011 when he walked into headquarters and . He was indicted and the case was moved to county court.

"I've been doing this 22 years, and this is definitely the worst case of sexual abuse I've ever seen," Caren Manzello, an assistant district attorney with the child abuse and domestic violence bureau, said at the sentencing.

Facing a life sentence on Class A felonies, Lopez Gonzalez took a plea deal with a promise of 25 years behind bars. He pleaded guilty to two charges of criminal sex acts in the first degree, and one more of course of sexual conduct against a child in the second degree.

Manzello said the plea was the only positive note in the case, as it allowed for closure for the victims — all of whom, she said, were significantly under 11 years old.

She would not expound on the relationship between the defendant and his victims.

Through a Spanish translator, Lopez Gonzalez said he was sorry for what he had done. "I want to say, with all my respect, there's no words to describe everything that happened and I feel a lot of repent," he said, standing before the judge in handcuffs and a jail uniform. "I ask for forgiveness for having betrayed people who loved and trusted me and family that supported me."

He asked that God bless the children.

His attorney Natasja Viveca Bellinger, of West Islip, said Lopez Gonzalez was remorseful. She said there were "other contributing factors that should be taken into account." She would only say it had to do with his upbringing.

He received 25 years on each count of criminal sex act, plus 20 years of post-release supervision, and 7 years for the sexual conduct charge, plus 10 years of post-release supervision. The sentences run concurrently.

Bellinger asked for adjournment because she was under the impression the post-release supervision for the criminal sex act counts was 10 years, not 20. The judge and the ADA agreed 20 years had been the terms, and the judge denied Bellinger's request for an adjournment.

Outside of court, Bellinger said she will request the transcript from the date the plea deal was accepted. Still, she acknowledged the discrepancy was essentially irrelevant, as Lopez Gonzalez will be deported following his release from prison. The judge said, during the proceedings, that he is an illegal alien.

A permanent order of protection was issued for the victims. Kahn said he may never contact them, again.

"You had a beautiful family and a great job," his victim's mother said. "Now you have nothing. You will never regain that ever again."