An Atlanta man was convicted Friday of molesting a young girl left in his custody while the child's parents were deployed overseas.
The Fulton County District Attorney's case was buttressed by the testimony of two adult nieces of the 81-year-old defendant who said they were also molested by Clarence Williams. The nieces were 7-years-old when the abuse began, the district attorney's office said.
Williams was sentenced to life in prison after the jury brought back guilty verdicts on all three counts brought against him.
Williams and his wife took temporary custody of the girl when her parents, on active duty with the U.S. Army, were sent to the Middle East. The girl testified the abuse began in 2002 and continued through 2005. According to the district attorney, she said the defendant would give her candy, chips and cookies after forcing her to engage in sexual acts.
The girl went to Williams' wife for help, but prosecutors say she refused to believe the child. Instead, she spanked the victim and demanded she write a letter of apology.
Six years after the abuse began, the girl, then 12, told her parents. They confronted Williams, who denied the allegations, accusing the little girl of lying.
But, according to the district attorney, investigators soon discovered she wasn't Williams' only victim. Williams' nieces, now 45 and 36, say they were molested by him in two separate incidents dating back to 1975.
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