CANTON – A 44-year-old man convicted of sexually abusing a girl for seven years subjected her and her siblings to “unspeakable horrors that have scarred us for life,” in the words of one of them.
In a letter read Monday in Stark County Common Pleas Court, she wrote that the abuse by Adam M. Burton “has destroyed my sense of security and trust. Every day I am haunted by the memories of your cruelty.”
The letter was read during the northeast Canton man’s sentencing hearing, presided over by Judge Chryssa Hartnett.
She sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years for convictions of rape, sexual assault and gross sexual imposition. The maximum would have been life in prison without parole. The minimum would have been life in prison with the possibility of parole after fifteen years.
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The judge said Burton caused “torture and absolute devastation” to the children. She praised them, especially victims of sexual abuse, for their courage, decency and dedication to each other.
Burton did not speak during the sentencing on the advice of his attorney Anthony Koukoutas.
Koukoutas asked the judge to give his client the minimum sentence. He said Burton had no previous criminal convictions.
Adam M. Burton’s Child Abuse
Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Kelsey DiFrancesco said the victim was abused for seven years, starting when she was eight years old.
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DiFrancesco and an assistant read letters from the victim, her siblings and their mother, who did not speak in court.
The primary victim wrote that Burton’s abuse ruined her.
“The atrocities you committed against me left a mark on my soul, a wound that time alone cannot heal,” she wrote. “Every night I am haunted by the memories of your abuse, the nightmares (an) inescapable reminder of the horror I endured.
She wrote that Burton’s cruelty caused her depression, which she described as a “dark cloud that obscures every ray of happiness.”
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She wrote that the defendant’s actions had dismantled her family, leaving behind broken spirits and shattered lives. She said he also abused her brother and sister.
One sibling described Burton as a monster and expressed the wish that he would never know a moment of peace or comfort again “as you stole that from us forever.”
Their brother wrote that the children were subjected to harsh treatment, favoritism and cruelty. He wrote that Burton forced him to donate blood plasma to obtain food.
Their mother wrote that she would always live with the feeling that she had failed to protect her children.
Burton is expected to appeal his convictions. He was found guilty in a jury trial that began June 13 and ended Thursday.
The judge gave Burton credit toward his sentence for 171 days he had already spent in jail.
If released from prison, Burton would have to remain on parole for five years after prison. He would have to register his address with the local sheriff every 90 days for the rest of his life.
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton child rapist Adam Burton faces possible life sentence
