Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that John Cavanaugh (age 64) of Spring Hill, Florida, was sentenced on Friday by Superior Court Justice Brian P. Stern to life in prison for the molestation and sexual assault of a young girl in the 1990s. Cavanaugh had been found guilty by a jury in November 2014 of one count of first degree sexual assault and four counts of second degree child molestation. Justice Stern sentenced Cavanaugh to life on the first degree sexual assault and 10 years suspended with probation on each of the four counts of second degree child molestation.
During the course of the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Cavanaugh molested a girl known to him on several occasions in the 1990s, when the victim was between the ages of nine and 15. The molestations took place in Warwick, where the defendant lived at the time. The victim reported the crime to the Warwick Police Department in 2013.
"After years of being afraid to come forward and report the abuse, it is my sincerest hope that this sentence brings a sense of justice for the victim. Moreover, I hope it gives others who may not have come forward to report their abusers the strength to do so knowing the police and my Office will fight to give them justice as well," said Attorney General Kilmartin.
Warwick Police Detective Shaun Turcotte led the investigation. Special Assistant Attorney General Timothy Healy prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.