A California man received the longest prison sentence in the history of Fresno — 1,503 years — after he refused two plea deals that would have put him back on the streets, according to a report.
Rene Lopez, 41, was convicted of felony incest in Fresno Superior Court after he repeatedly raped his 12-year-old daughter from 2009 to 2013, the Fresno Bee reported.
In handing down the unprecedented sentence, Judge Edward Sarkisian Jr. admonished Lopez for committing the callous acts and violating his fatherly trust while labeling him a “serious danger to society.”
Sarkisian also blasted Lopez for not showing any remorse and blaming his daughter for his unspeakable acts.
A shackled Lopez sat speechless at the defense table — never once looking over at his daughter, who was seated in the gallery nearby. Her name was withheld because she’s a sexual assault victim.
In a bizarre twist, Lopez could have accepted a 13-year prison term under a plea deal with prosecutors if he had only admitted guilt. But he rejected it before a preliminary hearing on his case.
And before his trial started, prosecutors made a second offer of 22 years behind bars, but Lopez stubbornly rejected that plea deal because he again refused to confess to the sexual assaults.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim, who is now 23, stood up and read an emotional statement, saying, “When my father abused me, I was young. I had no power, no voice. I was defenseless.”
Last month, Lopez was found guilty of 186 felony counts of sexual assault perpetrated solely on his daughter from May 2009 to May 2013.
Prosecutors said Lopez “chose to turn her into a piece of property and use her to satisfy his sexual needs.”
Lopez raped his daughter up to three times a week until she mustered up the courage to leave him and report his dirty deeds to the police.
But that didn’t stop Lopez from driving by her new home and leaving love songs on her answering machine before he was finally arrested in November 2013, the Fresno Bee reported.