A Greeley man was sentenced to 120 years in prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting two young girls over the course of two years, the Weld County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Christipher Shafer, 48, was sentenced after a jury convicted him of five counts of sexual assault on a child: position of trust. Shafer received the maximum sentence of 24 years to life for each count.
“The court will not allow any child to ever be the victims of the hands of Mr. Shafer ever again,” said Judge Timothy Kerns during the sentencing hearing.
The sexual assaults happened between 2016 and 2018, starting when the youngest victim was 7 years old and the oldest victim was 9 years old. The victims came forward to report the abuse in 2018.
In addition to sexually assaulting the victims, Shafer would force the girls to watch porn with him and imitate what they had seen, according to police reports. When the girls resisted, he would hit them on the head.
Shafer’s relationship to the children is unclear, but police reports indicated that the sexual assaults frequently occurred within the children’s own beds while their mother was working.
“I have no doubt that the defendant’s family never saw the side of him that victims in this case saw,” said Deputy District Attorney Yvette Guthrie. “Mr. Shafer is extremely manipulative like all sex offenders are.”
In 2006, Shafer was arrested for sexual assault on a child in Arizona; however, the charges were dropped in 2008. Shafer was previously convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for having a sexual relationship with a girl under the age of 18, according to public records.
During the sentencing hearing, Guthrie and Kerns applauded the bravery of the two victims for testifying against Shafer, assuring that he will not be able to victimize anyone else.
“My hope for you girls is that you recognize that you have the ability to do and become whoever you wish to be in life,” Kerns said. “I view you girls as survivors and extremely strong young women.”
Shafer will serve his life sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
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