A man was sentenced to 135 years in prison Tuesday for raping a mother and her daughter in their home 15 years ago.

L.C. Jackson, 40, broke into the sleeping family's home in the Cole neighborhood in August 1992. He put a knife to the mother's throat and dragged her to the basement where he tied her up and sexually assaulted her.

He left her there and went upstairs where he raped her 9-year-old daughter.

"They were in the safety of their own home sleeping when L.C. Jackson broke into their home and destroyed their lives," Prosecutor Kerri Lombardi said. "They have looked over their shoulder for 15 years for the person who raped them. What they have lived through and had to survive is unspeakable."

The case remained unsolved until it was reopened in the fall of 2004 under the DNA Cold Case Project.

Jackson maintains he is innocent and made no statement at the sentencing hearing in Denver District Court.

He was convicted of four counts of sexual assault, sexual assault on a child and second-degree kidnapping. He has eight previous felony convictions.

The mother and her daughter, who is now in her 20s, both testified at the trial and spoke at the sentencing hearing.

"My life was put on hold from the night I was violated," the mother said. "I was afraid he would never be caught."

She asked for a lengthy sentence "so he will never, ever do this horrible, monstrous thing to anyone again. He should be incarcerated for the rest of his miserable life, like I felt I was incarcerated for what he did to me and my child."

Her daughter wept as she described her mother's pain at being unable to protect her.