FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Man Pleads Guilty to Forcible Rape of a Victim Under Age 13
October 13, 2023
COVINGTON – District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that today, October 12, 2023, Craig Cato, age 39, pled guilty to his charge of forcible rape in advance of his Monday morning trial set before District Judge John Keller.
On March 8th 2021, the now adult victim reported having been repeatedly raped and sexually molested by the defendant when she was between the ages of 5 to 12. The victim told St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives she delayed disclosing the abuse because the defendant threatened to harm her and her family if the abuse was disclosed to anyone.
The victim reported the defendant had written her letters apologizing for the abuse, and she provided one letter to the Sheriff’s Office in which the defendant referenced the “evil acts” he committed and asked for forgiveness.
Cato is set to be sentenced to 30 years in prison without parole on Monday, October 16th. Detective Angelica Lopez of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant District Attorney Christina Fisher prosecuted the case.