Victim’s recording sends man to prison

The teenage victim of a two-year sexual assault by a relative helped send her molester to prison for 15 years after she recorded him making advances at a family gathering.

Madison County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said that Eugene Wilson, 62, of Canton, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the maximum penalty allowed by law. 

“That time will be served day for day without the possibility of parole,” Bramlett said. “He will be required to register as a sex offender after his release.”

Bramlet said Wilson had previously pleaded guilty to one count of gratification of lust of a minor.

“These types of acts, when pedophiles prey on children, are some of the worst types of abuse,” Bramlett said. 

“We are so thankful for the quick thinking of this child who was able to audio record an essential piece of evidence in this prosecution. 

“We hope that she can begin the long road to healing now that her abuser will spend the next 15 years of his life in prison.”

On January 3, 2024, law enforcement officers with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office were notified by the victim’s family that Wilson had been sexually abusing her for years. 

According to Bramlett, the victim had audio recorded an interaction on May 20, 2023, where Wilson attempted to sexually assault her while she was visiting at his home with her family, but she was able to escape his advances when another relative entered the room. 

In the recording, Bramlett said you can hear the defendant ask the victim, then 14 years of age, for sex, and you can hear his belt buckle unlatch.

Through the course of the investigation, the victim was taken to the Children’s Advocacy Center, where she disclosed that the abuse began in January 2022 and continued through December 23, 2023, Bramlett said. 

The victim disclosed multiple incidents of inappropriate sexual contact over an almost two-year period beginning when she was 12, Brameltt said. 

The victim was a family member, and Wilson was able to perpetrate the abuse during times when he was alone with her, Bramlett said.