Lawrenceville Man Faces 40 Years for Child Molestation Conviction

A Lawrenceville man has been found guilty of molesting a young girl, according to the Cobb County District Attorney.

Cobb DA Vic Reynolds said Adrian DeShawn Burney, 38, had lived with the victim at the time of the acts, which started when the girl was 8 years old and continued over four years.

The victim disclosed the abuse in 2005, when she was 15, while watching an episode of “Oprah” about child molestation.

In the interim, Burney pleaded guilty to raping two underage girls in Alabama and was serving time in that state. He was brought to Cobb to face the charges here upon being paroled in Alabama. Late Thursday, a Cobb jury found him guilty on two counts of child molestation, according to a press release.

The victim, who is now 24, told jurors how the man known as “Shawn” often got her alone and then would touch her inappropriately. He also showed himself to her.

She testified that she did not immediately report the abuse because Shawn’s girlfriend lived with her family, too, and she liked having the girlfriend around.

Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring told jurors: “The evidence has shown this defendant’s method of operation. He grooms these young girls, builds their trust, and then uses that trust for his own perverted sexual reasons. His acts have been those of a predator.”

Cobb State Court Judge Henry Thompson, sitting as a Superior Court Judge, presided over the trial, which began March 3. At sentencing on March 28, Burney faces a maximum of 40 years in prison.