a day ago
Man in his 40s sentenced to life in prison on multiple felony counts
( — The Honorable Paul K. Richardson has sentenced Thomas Jonathan Nichols to life in state prison for sexually abusing his stepdaughter when they lived in Yolo County.
According to the Yolo County District Attorney's Office, Nichols is a 47-year-old man from Savannah, Georgia, who has been sentenced without parole for 43 years, which is set to follow an indeterminate sentence of 165 years to life in state prison.
Kia recalls over 82,000 K5 vehicles after a faulty software update
'This sentence ensures that the defendant will never again have the opportunity to harm a child,' said District Attorney Jeff Reisig. 'We are grateful to the victim for her strength and courage throughout this process, and we hope this outcome brings a measure of justice and closure. Our office remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community and holding predators fully accountable.'
In 2023, Nicholas was charged with 66 felony counts, spanning nearly a decade of sexual abuse that started when the victim was 8 years old, YCDAO said. He used his role as a stay-at-home stepdad to isolate pressure and guilt-trip the victim into repeated acts of sexual abuse while being under his care.
In January, this case went into trial, where the victim, who is now a young adult, testified and disclosed the details of sexual and psychological abuse through the years, YCDAO stated. The jury found the victim credible and on February 14, found Nichols guilty of 62 felony counts which also included Child Molest, Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, and Rape by Force or Fear.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim's advocate read the impact statement that the victim wrote, which stated:
'In a way, my family and I will be serving a life sentence because this type of abuse is not something we can forget, unfortunately. [The defendant] abused me and my family in so many ways for so many years. My family and I will never get those years back. I will never be an innocent kid again.' The victim also stated, 'As the years have passed, however, I have made new memories with my family, I have opened my eyes to the simple joys that life can bring, and I finally feel like I get to experience true freedom for the first time.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
