Flowery Branch man sentenced to life for raping, stabbing 15-year-old girl

FLOWERING BRANCH, Georgia. – A Flowery Branch man was sentenced to life Friday for raping a teenage girl and stabbing her 86 times in Gwinnett County.

Zachary Iona, 22, pleaded guilty to charges of rape, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, statutory rape, child molestation and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime in court Superior of Gwinnett County. He was sentenced to a life sentence – 30 years in prison – followed by five years of parole and mandatory sex offender registration as part of his negotiated plea.

“Because he used a deadly weapon, he has five more years remaining. After those five years, he would potentially be eligible for parole. By then, he would be 57 years old,” said Marcus Garner, prosecutor. word of the Gwinnett County Prosecutor's Office. .

The 15-year-old victim met Iona on SnapChat. In February 2022, the teenager agreed to have the accused visit her at a house in Hoschton. The accused arrived with rolls of duct tape, rope and a knife. He tied the teenager's hands and covered her mouth with duct tape, then raped her. During the sexual assault, he began stabbing the teenager in the face, torso, neck, legs and arms. He then fled.

The teenager managed to crawl to her phone and call for help. She was rushed to hospital, where doctors discovered at least 86 stab and cut wounds on her body.

Police were able to identify the accused through a photo posted on the teenager's SnapChat. Police searched Iona's car and found duct tape and rope, as well as blood.

“If you participate in this type of criminal activity, you will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Garner said.

During the plea, the teen told the judge that she had just graduated from high school and considered it a blessing to be alive.

The teen underwent several surgeries and physical therapy and is now able to walk.

“The kids are attracted, they're teenagers and there are more girls than guys,” said Staca Shehan, vice president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The story that led to the attack is all too familiar.

“Children are more often recovered directly by the kidnapper. The kidnapper goes straight to the child’s house when the child goes missing,” Shehan said.

The case was prosecuted by the Special Victims Unit of the Gwinnett County Prosecutor's Office.