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Christopher Michael Chaviers, 51, of Boaz, recently received two life sentences, to run consecutively, for his recent convictions of first-degree rape and sodomy. A DeKalb County jury found Chaviers guilty of both charges and Circuit Judge Jeremy Taylor pronounced Chaviers’s sentence.
Taniesa L. Sullivan | The Weekly Ledger News | Press Release from DeKalb District Attorney Office
DEKALB COUNTY, Ala. - On January 4, 2023, Christopher Michael Chaviers, 51, of Boaz, received two life sentences, to run consecutively, for his convictions of Rape in the First Degree and Sodomy in the First Degree. A DeKalb County jury found Chaviers guilty of both charges following the November 14-15, 2022, trial. Circuit Judge Jeremy Taylor presided over the trial and following Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, pronounced Chaviers’s sentence.
Chaviers’s two prior felony convictions render him subject to the Habitual Felony Offender Act, meaning that any subsequent Class A felony conviction would result in a minimum sentence of life imprisonment. Rape First Degree and Sodomy First Degree are each Class A felonies. Often, the conviction of separate offenses results in the imposition of separate sentences that run concurrently, meaning that they begin and end simultaneously. In this case, Judge Taylor elected to impose a life sentence for each offense, and require that they run consecutively, guaranteeing that Chaviers will be in prison for the remainder of his life.
One of Chaviers’s prior convictions is for Rape Second Degree, a charge to which he pled guilty in 2010, and which already required him to register as a sex offender under the Alabama Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Act (SORNA). The November 2022 convictions likewise require lifetime registration under SORNA.
The investigation was completed by Chief Investigator Nick Brown of the DeKalb County
Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted at trial by Deputy District Attorney Bob Johnston and Assistant District Attorney Stanna Guice. Ms. Guice argued for Chaviers to receive the maximum sentence at the sentencing hearing.
District Attorney Summer Summerford said, “On behalf of the victim and her family and all who worked on this case, we are pleased with the sentence Judge Taylor imposed. These types of cases are difficult to prosecute, not only due to the nature of the offense but also because the trial requires a victim to relive the trauma of the event. It takes a very brave person to follow through to trial and sentencing, and we are so proud of the heart and courage this victim showed in doing so. Her goal was to do everything she could to ensure this man would never victimize anyone else, and her dedication to seeking justice is an inspiration to us.”
Numerous agencies and individuals played a part in the investigation and prosecution, including the James M. Barrie Center for Children in Gadsden, Tasha Galanty a Registered Nurse and Certified Forensic Nurse Examiner with Family Services of North Alabama, Investigator Gary Williams with the District Attorney’s Office Major Crimes Unit, and Sheriff’s Office Chief Investigator Nick Brown. These contributors are part of a multidisciplinary team that pools resources and advocacy practices to ensure child safety, provide services to victims, and bring perpetrators of abuse to justice.