The then-24-year-old defendant, Devante, reportedly kidnapped and indecently assaulted 2-year-old girl. The man then tossed the child in a tub full of scalding hot water to try to destroy the evidence of his se-ual assault. Per reports, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, but not before the “gift” that he left with his victim was revealed in court. Prosecutors said that the 24-year-old defendant was found guilty of two counts of kidnapping, two counts of child endangering, and single counts of r-pe and felonious assault for the heinous crime committed against an innocent 2-year-old little girl.
Devante did not hear this verdict in person because he fled the state. He was taken into custody more than a week later by U.S. marshals at a family member’s home. At his sentencing hearing, Devante maintained his innocence in a 15-minute statement to the court, saying he had even hired a private investigator to catch whoever had really r-ped the little girl while he was on the run. “I thought the truth, the facts, and justice would prevail,” he said. “I risked life because I knew if the facts got brought up, you could see that I didn’t r-pe her.”
Sadly, one of those facts is that the young victim ended up with chlamydia, although he denies giving to her. Another of those facts is that Devante doesn’t deny being the only one besides the girl’s mother to spend time alone with the child the day she was burned in the bathtub after being r-ped. Before his sentence was pronounced, County Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie read a statement from the victim’s mother, who lives out of state and was unable to attend the proceeding. “Throughout this process has continued to demonstrate his demeanor as a disgusting human being and shows no remorse for what he has done to her,” she read.
The letter went on to describe the impact that Devante’s assault has had on the little girl, who now lives in fear, screams, fights to avoid bathing, and is deeply self-conscious about the scars left by the life-saving surgery she was made to endure after being badly burned. “I can only imagine how that will manifest as she grows older as she begins to question the origins of her injuries,” she read. “It is my worst nightmare as her mother to look her in the eyes when she is older and explain to her how someone can be so sinister and violate her sweet innocence at the age of 2,” continued the prosecutor. Dear readers, we are republishing this story mid recent reports that child se-ual abuse has surged in the United States during the pandemic. Statistics indicate 1 in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience se-ual abuse or assault from an adult.
