A Sacramento man was sentenced to 580 years to life in state prison March 29 after he was convicted of sexually assaulting seven boys and girls over a span of 10 years.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Matthew Gary handed down the heavy sentence to Kirby Torres, 38, last week. Under California law, Mr. Torres will be eligible for parole in 16 years.
Mr. Torres was convicted by a jury in October of five counts of committing lewd acts on a child under 14 with force or fear, and 19 counts of committing lewd acts on a child under 14.
The jury found Mr. Torres took advantage of his position of trust when he sexually assaulted seven children between the ages of 3 and 13, committing a variety of acts involving “substantial sexual conduct,” according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
“All seven victims were particularly vulnerable at the time of the offenses,” the office said in a press release.
The crimes, which occurred between 2010 and 2020, involved “great violence” or acts of a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness, the district attorney’s office said, adding Mr. Torres planned the assaults and used obscene or harmful material to encourage the children to participate in the sex acts.
“The abuse ended when a babysitter overheard one of the child victims talking about sexual conduct with Torres,” the district attorney’s office reported.
The incidents reportedly occurred in Citrus Heights, about 15 miles northeast of Sacramento.
After an investigation by the sheriff’s office and the Citrus Heights Police Department, Mr. Torres was arrested Dec. 30, 2020, when he was 35. He remains in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail, according to inmate records.
Under current California law, Mr. Torres will become eligible for release at an Elder Parole hearing in 2040, after serving only 20 years of his 580-year sentence.
A law passed in 2020 by the state Legislature lowered the age of those who qualify for the parole program to people 50 years or older and who have served 20 years or more of continuous incarceration.
