CANTON, Ga. — A Canton man was found guilty of first-degree cruelty to children Friday after he was accused of burning a child with a cigarette.
A Cherokee County jury convicted Lior Talker, 44, after a three-day trial and about 12 hours of deliberation, said Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway.
The jury heard evidence that Talker burned a boy younger than 10 with a cigarette, causing second-degree burns.
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Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office began their investigation in February 2024 after a social worker reported the suspected child abuse.
The boy told his counselor that Talker burned his back with a cigarette.
Medical staff at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta examined the boy and found a circular wound on his back consistent with a cigarette burn.
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The boy and his sister were interviewed at the Anna Crawford Children’s Center as part of the investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
Talker is known to the children, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Assistant District Attorney David Bailey of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit’s Special Victims Unit prosecuted the case.
Eleven witnesses testified for the prosecution, including the children, family members, the counselor who alerted authorities, medical staff, a forensic interviewer, a Division of Family & Children Services representative and law enforcement officers.
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Talker and three character witnesses testified for the defense.
He will be sentenced later.
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