James Kevin Pope has been sentenced to 4,060 years in prison and a $430,000 fine in Texas after being convicted of 43 counts of sexual abuse. It took the jury a mere three hours to decide Pope's fate after evidence was presented proving his guilt. The judge has ordered that Pope serve the sentences consecutively - meaning that Pope will be eligible for parole in 3209.
Pope had been reported to authorities by a friend who was concerned about comments he was making. Upon investigation, authorities found huge amounts of child porn on Pope's computer. This evidence in addition to the testimony of three girls regarding the sexual abuse (and images found in Pope's home that substantiated the girls' claims) led to Pope's hefty sentence.
From prison, Pope tried to explain his predicament to his mother this way:
They were never forced. I treated them like adults. We discussed it. We talked about it, and the decision was made. It was never forced.
How many times have we heard this defense?
The jury and judge in this case have made it perfectly clear what we think of your "it was consensual" defense. Anyone else want to use it?
