A 43-year-old man, convicted of sexual conduct with a minor and other offenses, could face up to six life sentences for abusing his biological daughter and stepdaughter over the course of their childhood, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Friday.
A jury last week found Samuel Rhyner guilty of six counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of sexual abuse, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of molestation of a child, according to an MCAO release.
The Phoenix Police Department was alerted by a family member in June 2020 that Rhyner had sexually abused the girls. In the case of one of the victims, the abuse started when she was 4 years old, authorities said.
“This individual exploited his position as a father figure to cause his daughters unspeakable harm,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said.
“I want to commend the work of our prosecutors as this was a particularly difficult case because the victims are related, and multiple witnesses were located out of state.”