In February, Craig Ross Jr. admitted to nine charges after he kidnapped a young girl who was riding her bike in Moreau Lake State Park in upstate New York on September 30th.
During a camping trip, she was abducted by Ross and held captive for 47 hours. On October 2nd, the police successfully rescued her from an RV owned by Ross.
On Wednesday, Judge James Murphy III of Saratoga County Court handed down a sentence of 25 years to life for the charge of first-degree kidnapping and 22 years to life for the charge of predatory sexual assault against a child. This results in a combined sentence of 47 years to life, with the sentences to be served consecutively.
The victim was also granted a 100-year order of protection by Murphy.
During the sentencing, Ross was confronted with a victim statement from the child, which was read to him by Saratoga County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Buckley. The girl expressed how his actions had caused both physical and mental harm to her.
“You’ve done something terrible. Your actions have made it difficult for me to sleep at night,” she exclaimed. “I can’t help but wonder why you chose to do such a thing.”
“I have experienced something truly awful, and now you will have to endure something equally dreadful,” she went on. “I know the feeling of isolation, and now you will experience it as well.”
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In a statement, Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen emphasized that Ross’ sentence reflects the court’s firm belief that his actions were “extremely heinous and depraved,” warranting a potential life sentence in prison.
According to Heggen, he emphasized that the individual will spend many years behind bars before they can even be considered for parole.
National attention was captivated by the disappearance of the girl, and Ross was the one who brought about her rescue by leaving a ransom note at the victim’s home.
The fingerprints on the letter were a match with those in a law enforcement database, indicating that Ross had previously been arrested in connection to a drunk driving case in 1999.
