An Atlanta man beat, raped two young girls. Now he’ll serve 7 life sentences.

A metro Atlanta man was sentenced Wednesday morning after a jury found him guilty of beating, raping, choking and physically restraining two girls.

DeKalb County officials said Russell Cook, 56 of Ellenwood, was sentenced to seven life sentences plus 89 years and one year of probation, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. That adds up to 299 years.

The jury convicted Cook on multiple charges, including child molestation, rape and cruelty to children. He was also convicted of aggravated sexual battery and aggravated child molestation.

The AJC reports Cook first abused the two girls, then 10 and 14, in 2009. The assaults happened over a two year period before one of the victims told a neighbor about the incidents. The neighbor then called police.

Investigators found Cook would sexually assault the two girls “often after physically restraining, beating and choking the defenseless victims,” DeKalb district attorney spokeswoman Yvette F. Jones said in a news release provided to the AJC.

The AJC did not name the two victims per their policy of keeping sexual assault victims anonymous.

This story was originally published October 6, 2017 at 8:15 AM with the headline "An Atlanta man beat, raped two young girls. Now he’ll serve 7 life sentences.."