A Georgia man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the assault and rape of a 15-year-old girl he met on social media.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Zachary Iona, 22, pled guilty to charges of rape, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, statutory rape, child molestation, and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. He was given a life sentence – 30 years in prison – followed by five years of parole and mandatory sex offender registration as part of his negotiated plea.
The victim was bound, mouth covered with tape, rapped and during the sexual assault, then Iona began stabbing her in the face, torso, neck legs, and arms.
“Because he used a deadly weapon, there’s an additional five years. After those five years, he would be potentially eligible for parole. By then, he would be 57 years old,” Marcus Garner, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson said.
Atlanta News First reported the teen met Iona on Snapchat in February 2022 and then agreed to meet at her home in Hoschton. While at the victim’s home, Iona he bound her hands and covered her mouth with tape before raping her, according to the district attorney’s office.
During the assault, Iona stabbed the teen multiple times before fleeing the scene. The victim managed to crawl to her phone and called for help.
Medical staff found at least 86 stabs and cut wounds across her body, the district attorney’s office said.
“During the sexual assault, he began stabbing the teen in her face, torso, neck, legs, and arms,” the DA’s office added. “He then fled.”
Police identified Iona using a Snapchat photo and found duct tape, rope, and blood inside his vehicle.
“This should be a warning to our young people to beware,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a statement. “As this case demonstrates, not everyone you meet on social media has your best interest at heart.”
After many surgeries and hours of physical therapy, the girl can now walk. During the plea hearing, she told the judge she had recently graduated from high school and considered herself blessed to be alive, the district attorney’s office said.
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[Feature Photo: Zachary Iona/Gwinnett PD]
