Whittier Man, 66, Sentenced To 675 Years In Prison For Sexually Abusing Female Relative, 11
NORWALK (CNS) — A Whittier man was sentenced Tuesday to 675 years to life in prison for sexually abusing a family member over two years, starting when she was 11.
Norwalk Superior Court Judge Philip Hickok imposed the maximum term on Michael Benjamin Burch, 66, who was convicted Dec. 21 of forcible rape, oral copulation of a person under 14 and lewd act upon a child.
Burch was convicted in Orange County of similar crimes against two other female relatives in 1983.
"The defendant is a vicious predator who has destroyed the lives of three ... (victims) whom he was charged with protecting," Deputy District Attorney Michael Michelena wrote in a sentencing memorandum. "The public should know that there is no tolerance for this type of behavior and it will be met with the harshest of penalties."
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