Man sentenced to life for raping teenage girl, stabbing her dozens of times in Gwinnett County

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A Flowery Branch man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for raping a 15-year-old girl and attacking her with a knife two years ago, the District Attorney's Office said. Gwinnett County.

Zachary Iona, 22, pleaded guilty to rape, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, statutory rape, child molestation and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. His life sentence includes 30 years in prison and five years of parole, as well as mandatory sex offender registration.

The case dates back to February 2022, when the teenager met Iona on Snapchat. The teen agreed to let Iona meet her at a home in Hoschton, where he tied her hands and covered her mouth with duct tape before raping her, according to the prosecutor's office.

During the assault, Iona stabbed the teenager in the face, torso, neck and limbs before running. The girl was taken to hospital after crawling to her phone and calling for help. Medical staff found at least 86 stab and cut wounds all over his body, the prosecutor's office said.

Police identified Iona using a Snapchat photo and found her car, which contained duct tape, rope and blood.

“This should be a warning to our young people to be careful,” Gwinnett County Prosecutor Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a statement. “As this case demonstrates, not everyone you meet on social media has your best interests at heart. »

After numerous surgeries and hours of physiotherapy, the young girl can now walk again. During the plea hearing, she told the judge that she had recently graduated from high school and considered herself lucky to be alive, the prosecutor's office said.

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