Judge sentences Atascadero man to 28 years to life for sodomizing boy

January 19, 2022

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A judge sentenced an Atascadero man on Tuesday to 28 years to life in state prison for sodomizing a 6-year-old boy.

Fred Raymond Knight, Jr., 46, is a repeat sex offender. In 2011, Knight was convicted of committing lewd acts on child and was sentenced to three years in prison.

On Aug. 20, 2018, he sodomized a then-6-year-old boy, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office. Atascadero police officers arrested Knight a few days later.

Then on Nov. 16, 2021, Knight pleaded no contest to charges of committing lewd acts and sodomy on a child under the age of 10.

Judge Jesse Marino sentenced Knight on Tuesday to 28 years to life in state prison and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life. The victim’s mother spoke during the sentencing hearing about the impact of the crime.

“Whenever a sexual predator abuses a child, he is responsible for inflicting unimaginable and lasting harm on the victim,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in a statement. “Sexual predators must be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible under the law to reflect the longstanding pain and suffering their acts inflict on innocent children and to deter others from committing similar horrible crimes. We commend the courage this very young survivor displayed by reporting the abuse and of the family in patiently working through the legal process necessary to hold this predator accountable.”

Because of changes to California criminal law via the Legislature and ballot initiative process, it is unknown how much of his prison sentence Knight will serve before being eligible for parole, the district attorney’s office says.