Robert McFadden hung his head, buried his face in his left hand and cried. The Charlotte teenager had just learned he'd been convicted of raping an 83-year-old woman.

McFadden, who was 16 at the time of the rape, was sentenced to at least 9 1/2 years in prison. It was the maximum sentence the judge could impose.

"In 25 years on the bench, this is the first case I've handled like this," Superior Court Judge Timothy Kincaid said. "It's awful."

The jury of seven men and five women deliberated just 1 1/2 hours before reaching their verdicts. McFadden, now 18, was convicted of second-degree rape and breaking and entering. He was acquitted of first-degree kidnapping.

The rape victim's granddaughter told the judge she's seen what her grandmother has gone through since the rape in May 2010.

"It's hurtful and painful," she said, "and it's making me angry."

James McFadden, the teenager's uncle, cried as he stood before the judge and apologized to the victim's family.

"I love my nephew," he said. "I should have been a better uncle. ... He's a troubled boy because his mom and dad weren't there."

Read the complete story at charlotteobserver.com