An Anderson County Jury found a Williamston man guilty of molesting his son and abusing his daughter after a week-long trial last week, announced Solicitor Micah E. Black
Leo Lopez III, 46, went to trial on June 22, 2026, on numerous charges of child physical and sexual abuse. On June 26, 2026, a jury convicted Lopez of Second-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor and five (5) counts of Unlawful Conduct Towards a Child.
Evidence presented at trial showed that from May 2020 to July 2022, Lopez performed fellatio on, masturbated, and anally penetrated his own son, who was twelve (12) to fourteen (14) years old at the time. During this same timeframe, Lopez would also punch his son and his daughter in the face and stomach, and use a belt to discipline them, often leaving visible injuries on the children that had to be concealed with makeup. When investigators confronted Lopez with the allegations against him during the investigation, he smirked and claimed the children had multiple personality disorders. The children were treated by doctors and mental health professionals and were never diagnosed with multiple personality disorders as Lopez claimed. However, evidence presented at trial showed the victims did suffer from severe trauma as a result of experiencing years of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of Lopez.
Senior Assistant Solicitor Derek Polsinello prosecuted the case for the State, with help from Assistant Solicitor Alexandra Guarin, Assistant Solicitor Grayson Horton, Investigator Heather Purdy, and Victim Advocate Stephanie Joseph. Solicitor Black praised the work of his team in securing this conviction. He also praised Former Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Gleynnda Miller for her dedication to seeing this case through to a guilty verdict.
During the sentencing phase of the trial, the State urged the Court to consider the heinous nature of the crimes Lopez committed and asked the Court for the maximum sentence as the law allows. Lopez was facing up to seventy (70) year’s incarceration for the convictions. Circuit Court Judge Dale Van Slambrook sentenced Cole to fifteen (15) years in prison suspended to eight (8) years in the Department of Corrections followed by five (5) years probation. Lopez will be considered a violent offender while in the Department of Corrections and will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.
“No punishment the court could give would ever be adequate for what Leo Lopez did to his own children in this case,” Solicitor Black stated after the verdict, “but this office will never back down from taking tough cases like this one to trial and standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.”