ASHEVILLE - An Asheville man will serve up to 29 years in prison after pleading guilty July 22 in Buncombe County Superior Court to the statutory rape of a child.
Christopher Murray Upshaw, 34, of Asheville, pleaded guilty in front of Judge Alan Thornburg a year-and-a-half after Buncombe County Sheriff’s officers arrested him under a charge of statutory rape of a child by an adult, a class B1 felony, on March 30, 2023, according to court records.
Upshaw ultimately confessed to statutory rape of a child under the age of 15, which is also a class B1 felony and carries the possibility of life without parole. Thornburg sentenced Upshaw to serve an active prison term of 240 to 348 months, or up to 29 years, according to a news release from District Attorney Todd Williams' Office.
The sheriff’s office began a sex crimes investigation after receiving a report about a sexual assault involving a juvenile in March 2023, the release said. The victim was 12 years old, according to court documents.
Buncombe County Department of Social Services identified Upshaw as the suspect and executed a search warrant on his home. He was arrested after the search, according to the release.
Thornburg also ordered Upshaw to register as a sexual offender for 30 years and have no contact with the victim for the rest of his life.
The District Attorney’s Office asks anyone who has been a victim of a sex crime to contact the Family Justice Center at 828-250-6900 or Our Voice at 828-252-0562 for help.
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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville man pleads guilty, sentenced for statutory rape of a child: court records
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