Three weeks after a jury found him guilty of multiple sex crimes, 20-year-old Zachary Robert Haddock was sentenced to life in prison for assaults on three victims.
Charges
Jurors took just twenty three minutes to determine Haddock was guilty of multiple counts of Rape and Child Molestation after hearing evidence from Assistant District Attorney Matt Breedon.
The state presented a plethora of evidence, including:
- forensic interviews with the victims,
- law enforcement interviews with the defendant,
- transcripts of a pretrial proceedings at which time the defendant testified and made admissions,
- medical records of victims and the defendant,
- SnapChat messages and screenshots, and
- testimony from Sgt John Bradley of the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Larry Harris of the Rincon Police Department, and Lieutenant Abby Brown, now of the Port Wentworth Police Department but an ECSO investigator at the time of the investigation
Haddock also took the stand during his trial. Breedon subsequently cross examined him for more than an hour. During that time, he challenged Haddock on his inconsistent statements to law enforcement, his use of alcohol and drugs, and his sexual encounters with the victims.
Haddock Sentenced
Zachary Haddock and his counsel, Rincon defense attorney Craig Bonnell, appeared before Judge Lovett Bennett Jr. on Monday for a sentencing hearing in Effingham County Superior Court.
Bennett ordered sentences on six counts as follows:
Count 1 – Rape – Life Sentence
Count 2 – Burglary – 20 years to serve, concurrent to Count 1
Count 3 – Child Molestation – 5 year split sentence, 4 years to serve, 1 year probation consecutive to Counts 1 & 2
Count 4 – Aggravated Child Molestation – Directed Verdict issued during trial by Judge Bennett due to State failing to present evidence to support the charge
Count 5 – Child Molestation – 5 year split sentence, 4 years to serve, 1 year probation consecutive to Counts 1 & 2, Concurrent to Count 3
Count 6 – Rape – Life Sentence, concurrent to Count 1
Count 7 – Child Molestation – 5 year split sentence, 4 years to serve, 1 year probation concurrent to Counts 3 & 5, Consecutive to Counts 1 & 2
The sentences total two life sentences plus 35 years. Haddock has been in the Effingham County Jail since his arrest. He will be transferred to the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections in the next ten days.
