Man gets 35 years for raping girl

Jury acquits ex-school worker of 2 counts of sexual assault

Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputies bring Ali Matar to court Friday in Bentonville.
Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputies bring Ali Matar to court Friday in Bentonville.

BENTONVILLE -- A former Bentonville school worker showed no emotion Friday as he was sentenced to 35 years in prison in the rape of a 5-year-old girl last year.

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A jury found Ali Matar Jr. guilty of rape, a Class Y felony, but acquitted Matar of two counts of sexual assault in the second degree, a Class B felony.

It took the panel of seven women and five men about 45 minutes to deliberate Matar's sentence. He had faced from 25 to 40 years in prison or life imprisonment.

Matar, 22, of Lowell must serve 24 years before he will be eligible for parole.

Matar worked for the Bentonville School District as a leader for Adventure Club at R.E. Baker Elementary School. He was accused of sexually abusing three kindergartners in his group.

Matar looked straight ahead as Circuit Judge Brad Karren sentenced him to prison. Benton County sheriff's deputies then led him handcuffed from the courtroom.

The families of the girls sat on one side of the courtroom, and Matar's family sat on the other side. There were no outbursts.

Prosecutors used Matar's confession to police as evidence at trial on the rape charge involving the 5-year-old girl. There was no confession involving the two other girls.

The three girls testified at trial and said Matar touched them inappropriately at Adventure Club.

The mother of the 5-year-old told jurors that her daughter now has trust issues with men and is afraid of boys as result of Matar's actions.

As the only witness prosecutors called during the sentencing phase, the mother also said her daughter is in counseling and dealing with issues at school. The girl's mother expressed concern that her daughter would continue to face problems as she grew older.

Nathan Smith, Benton County's prosecutor, didn't recommend a sentence to jurors but told them Matar's actions were evil and wicked.

"There are no other ways to describe them," Smith said. "This is a fact."

"Someone who raped a child at school -- his student -- does not deserve 25 years," Smith said as he argued against the minimum sentence.

Matar also testified during the sentencing phase, when he denied raping the girl. Matar told jurors he was sorry that the girls and their families had to go through an investigation and trial.

Matar's father, mother, sister and brother testified for the defense, as well. Matar's brother, John, said the family still believes in his brother's innocence and wanted the jury to show mercy when it came to his sentence.

Justin Hurst, one of Matar's attorneys, urged jurors not to consider a life sentence for Matar because there would be no chance for parole. Hurst told jurors that they weren't only determining Matar's sentencing, but also the remainder of his life.

"There is no way for him to leave that facility except in a casket," Hurst said of a life sentence.

Matar can be rehabilitated, Hurst said.

The girls weren't in the courtroom during sentencing.

Smith said Matar's confession was crucial in obtaining the rape conviction. Smith said the prosecution relied heavily on the interview, and he believes the jury also relied on it to find Matar guilty of rape.

Smith said he's grateful to the families for allowing the children to testify.

"It's a great burden on families and parents to entrust their children to us and let them testify," Smith said. "The parents are not in the courtroom because we want the children to be focused on their testimony instead of the parents."

Afterward, Hurst said Matar and his family were having a tough time with the verdict.

"They know that they have lost their family member for many years," he added.

Hurst also acknowledged that Matar's recorded confession was hard to overcome.

"It's the toughest piece of evidence that they had," he said.

State Desk on 01/31/2015

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