Pearl River Man Gets Life Sentence for Child Rape

District Attorney Collin Sims announces that today, George Starks, 32, of Pearl River, Louisiana, was sentenced to a mandatory term of life imprisonment for the brutal rape and sexual battery of a child. The sentencing follows a December 2025 conviction where a St. Tammany Parish jury took only 19 minutes to return a unanimous guilty verdict. Judge Tara Zeller of Division B handed down the following sentences:

Count 1: First-Degree Rape of a Child Under Thirteen – Life imprisonment at hard labor, without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.

Count 2: Sexual Battery Involving a Victim Under Thirteen – 50 years at hard labor, without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.

The court ordered that these sentences be served concurrently.

The conviction stems from a July 2022 incident in Slidell. Evidence presented by Assistant District Attorneys Iain Dover and Tiffany Dover detailed how Starks lured the victim into his vehicle before driving her to a secluded area at the dead end of Bull Run. There, he forcibly removed her from the car and committed the rape and assault.

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The investigation, led by Detective Patrick Rigney of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, was bolstered by surveillance footage from a local Shell station and definitive DNA evidence from the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office. Despite Starks’ evolving and contradictory claims during the trial – including a claim that the victim forced his DNA into her possession – the jury found the evidence of his guilt overwhelming.

District Attorney Collin Sims issued the following statement regarding today’s sentencing:

“Today’s sentence ensures that a dangerous predator will never again have the opportunity to harm a child in our community. The victim’s bravery throughout this process remained the foundation of this case. This life sentence is the only just outcome for such heinous acts.”

DA Sims again extended his gratitude to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office, Hope House, and the Morgan Rae Center for Hope for their roles in securing this conviction and supporting the victim.