Windsor man sentenced in sexual assault of 12-year-old stepdaughter

A Windsor cabinetmaker convicted of raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter after she had previously been sexually assaulted by his son was sentenced Thursday to 69 years to life in prison.

Jesus Chaves, 43, was convicted by a jury earlier this year of six felonies in the August 2013 molestation that happened in part in a pool house at his home.

Chaves was caught when the girl’s mother walked in on him. Both she and her daughter testified at trial.

Prosecutor Barbara Nanney called for the maximum punishment, saying Chaves sexually assaulted the girl despite knowing she was recovering from a previous attack.

“Rather than taking her in his arms and comforting her … he made a conscious decision to engage in the same conduct,” Nanney told Judge Gary Medvigy.

Chaves questioned the validity of DNA testing that showed he had sexual intercourse with the girl. He blamed his lawyer for not hiring an expert to testify at trial.

Medvigy cautioned him that his comments were “increasingly offensive” before stepping off the bench to calculate his punishment.

Based in part on his lack of remorse and the vulnerability of the victim, Medvigy sentenced Chaves to 14 years plus 55 years to life in prison.

Chaves shook his head as the judge read the sentence. He previously turned down an offer to settle the case for 18 years in prison.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.