Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 30, 2023
Child rapist convicted at trial, will get life without parole
A 37-year old Somerset man will serve a life sentence in prison without parole after jurors in Muskingum County convicted him of repeatedly raping two children for several years.
After three days of testimony, the jury found the defendant guilty on seven counts of rape and eight counts of gross sexual imposition, all carrying sexually violent predator specifications.
The defendant’s name is not being disclosed in an effort to shield the victims from further trauma.
The investigation began in Perry County in 2019 when one of the two children first disclosed that she was being sexually abused.
During her forensic interview at a child advocacy center, the victim explained that the defendant began sexually assaulting her at the age of three or four.
In separate interviews, both child victims described in explicit detail how the defendant “did bad things” to them.
Both children disclosed that some of the incidents occurred in the Philo area.
Since offenses occurred in both Muskingum and Perry counties, the decision was made to proceed with all of the charges in Muskingum County.
The resulting indictment contained charges stemming from both counties as a continuing course of conduct spanning from 2013 through 2018, which is permitted by law when a person commits a pattern of crime in multiple jurisdictions and involving the same victims.
“Pursuing justice for our most vulnerable victims is a priority for our office. Achieving results holding child predators accountable is a difficult task but one we refuse to shy away from,” Prosecutor Ron Welch said. “The bravery of the victims, the hard work of law enforcement and tireless efforts by Assistant Prosecutor Hughes will ensure this defendant never harms another child.”
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