It took a Gwinnett County jury just 14 minutes Wednesday to convict Joe Henry Davis of repeatedly molesting a young girl, paving the way for Judge George F. Hutchinson III to order him to spend 30 years in prison.
For Davis, who is 78 years old, the sentence came with a dramatic realization.
"That's a death sentence for me," Davis said in court, according to information released by the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office.
"Yes, sir," Hutchinson reportedly replied. "I expect that it is."
Davis was arrested last year after his victim, now 14 years old, told her therapist that he had molested her approximately nine times over a three-year period.
Davis later "confessed to detectives and admitted to almost all of the acts disclosed by the victim," officials said. He was found guilty this week of six offenses, including child molestation, aggravated child molestation and aggravated sexual battery.
His 30-year prison sentence carries no possibility of parole.
About the Author
