On March 20, 2024, a Catoosa County jury convicted Christopher Bean of aggravated sexual battery, enticing a child for an indecent purpose and two counts of child molestation after a three-day trial before Superior Court Judge Brian House. Bean, 36, was convicted on all counts of the four-count indictment, after less than 1 hour of deliberations by the jury.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Bean began molesting his cousin when she was about seven years old. This abuse continued off and on for over five years until Bean was arrested in late 2022 for molesting his own daughter. In that case, Bean’s developmentally delayed daughter disclosed that, when she was approximately five years old, her father had her rub his penis with her feet and hands and had forced her to perform oral sex on him while showing her pornography. During an interview with law enforcement, Bean would admit that he did in fact molest his daughter.
During the investigation of Bean’s abuse of his daughter, Bean’s cousin finally felt safe and comfortable enough to come forward and disclose the abuse that she too had suffered at the hands of Christopher Bean. Bean’s cousin disclosed that she was groped and digitally penetrated by Bean on multiple occasions over a five-year period when she was between the ages of seven and thirteen.
On March 1, 2024 Bean would plea guilty to aggravated child molestation, child molestation, and incest for molesting his daughter and was sentenced to life with the first twenty five years to be served in the Georgia Department of Corrections. However, Bean refused to plea guilty to the charges involving his cousin.
On March 18, 2024, a jury trial began for the charges related to Bean’s cousin. The case was presented to the jury by Assistant District Attorney David Wolfe, who prepared and handled both of Christopher Bean’s cases, with the assistance of Victim Witness Advocate Ashely Nicholson, who coordinated and communicated with victims and witnesses from both cases simultaneously while providing compassion, support and guidance; and District Attorney’s Office Investigator Eric Sliz who provided investigation and support to the team. Both of Bean’s cases were investigated by Detective Brittany Gilleland of the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office, while the children in both cases were interviewed by Holly Kittle, senior forensic interviewer from the Children’s Advocacy Center in Fort Oglethorpe.
On March 20th, after a three-day trial, the jury found Christopher Bean guilty of all counts. On April 26, 2024, Judge Brian House held a sentencing hearing for Bean. During that hearing, Assistant District Attorney Wolfe pointed out that at no point in either case had Bean expressed even the slightest remorse. Judge House sentenced Bean to life with the first 30 years to be served in prison, consecutive to his previous case. Between both cases, Bean will have to serve 55 years in prison, at which time he will be 91 years old.
