In a case update from Lassen County’s District Attorney’s Office, Westwood man Robert Cox, Jr., 35, has been sentenced to two consecutive 25-to-life prison terms for sexually abusing two minors under 14. Convicted in July, the crimes occurred almost five years before the case went to trial. Cox committed the offenses when the victims were 7 and 9, with the incidents reported to law enforcement in January 2022. The prosecution presented a strong case with eight witnesses, including the brave minor victims.
DA Melyssa Rios says Cox could have faced a lighter sentence, as by law, his crime typically carries “a punishment of 6, 12, or 16 years in state prison.” Yet because the jury found that the crime was committed against more than one child, the sentencing was enhanced to a minimum of 25 years for each child.
Judge James Voysey, considering the heinous nature of the crimes and the trauma inflicted on each child, imposed consecutive terms, meaning they will be served one after the other rather than running at the same time. Cox will see a minimum of 50 years up to life.