News

Transylvania man gets 20-29 years in prison for long-term sexual abuse

Eric Randall Mahaffey

By Lightning Reports, Published: December 22, 2025

A 42-year-old Transylvania County man was sentenced 20-29 years in prison on Friday after a jury convicted him on five counts of statutory rape and two counts of sexual offense of a minor under the age of 15, District Attorney Andrew Murray announced.

Superior Court Judge Carla Archie sentenced the defendant, Eric Randall Mahaffey, after an eight-day jury trial that ended in the guilty verdict on all counts.

According to court trial records and the sentencing hearing, in 2023, Mahaffey called Transylvania County 911 and reported his intent to commit suicide and admitted that he had been sexually abusing a family member for approximately 2½ years. During this period, the family member was between 13 and 15 years of age. Deputies promptly arrived at the scene and arrested the defendant. While in custody, Mahaffey again confessed to sexually abusing his underage family member for several years.

Taking the stand, the victim testified that from 2021 to 2023 Mahaffey had intercourse with her more than a hundred times and further said that in 2023 she told her sister of the ongoing abuse. The sister corroborated the information on the witness stand and stated she told the victim’s mutual therapist about the abuse.

Admitted as an expert witness, the therapist testified to the victim’s diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Adjustment Disorder. Transylvania County sheriff’s detectives testified to the details of the investigation, which revealed that Mahaffey sent sexually explicit pictures to his niece.

In an unusual move, Mahaffey voluntarily took the witness stand and confessed to having a sexual relationship with a family member for years. Under cross-examination, Mahaffey admitted to all seven crimes of which he was accused and further stated that he believed he was in a mutual loving relationship with the underage victim. The jury returned quick guilty verdicts on all seven counts.

Assistant District Attorneys Robert Beaver and Michael Van Buren handled the prosecution and sentencing of the crimes. Murray thanked Transylvania County Detective Dillon Carter and the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office for their professional and thorough investigation of this case. He also thanked the Southmountain Children and Family Services, and Wings of Flight Center for Change for their professional and caring services to the victim.