A Cherokee County judge sentenced a 26-year-old man to two consecutive life sentences after a jury found him guilty of raping two girls under the age of 13 in separate attacks in Canton and Woodstock.
What happened: On April 16, Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Tony Baker sentenced 26-year-old Reyes Hernandez-Macario following his March 12 conviction on all eight charges brought against him.
The charges included:
- Two counts of rape
- Two counts of child molestation
- Two counts of false imprisonment
- Two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree
The first attack: Canton Police opened an investigation in August 2023 after a child under 13 reported being raped. Prosecutors say Hernandez-Macario was a youth pastor at a Canton church who regularly drove children to weekly services in a church van. After dropping off the other children, he parked the van, locked the doors, and forcibly assaulted the girl, then told her not to tell anyone. She came forward six months later.
The second attack: Woodstock Police opened a separate investigation in September 2023 after another child under 13 reported sexual abuse. That child said Hernandez-Macario assaulted her while they were alone in the living room of her family’s home, covering her mouth, holding her down, and threatening to harm her family if she told anyone. She came forward a year later.
The arrest: Two days after law enforcement obtained an arrest warrant, officers arrested Hernandez-Macario on October 22, 2023, at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. He had purchased a one-way ticket to Guatemala and was attempting to board the flight. He was taken to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.
On delayed reporting: “Delayed disclosure is very common in cases involving child victims,” said Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Hines, who prosecuted the case. “Fear, confusion, and threats from the offender often prevent children from coming forward right away.”
What’s important: Hernandez-Macario knew both children personally. Prosecutors said he used force and threats in both attacks and used his access to the children to carry them out. At sentencing, the state pointed to his attempt to flee the country, the threats he made to keep the children silent, and the lasting harm to both girls.
The path forward: Consecutive life sentences in Georgia mean Hernandez-Macario must complete one life sentence before the second begins, making release extremely unlikely.
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B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
