CHILD MOLESTOR CONVICTED TWELVE YEARS AFTER CRIME

State vs. Marcus McLester

Atlanta- A child molestation case involving ‘delayed disclosure’ of the crime has ended in a conviction by jury trial twelve years after the abuse began. A Fulton County jury on Wednesday found Defendant Marcus McLester, now 43, guilty of Aggravated Child Molestation and Child Molestation for abusing a former girlfriend’s daughter.

The abuse began in 1998 and continued for nearly a year when the then six-year-old child and her younger brother were left in the care of McLester. The defendant would repeatedly fondle the little girl, force her to perform oral sex on him and threaten to ‘kill her mother’ if she told. The child, who had witnessed her mother being beaten by McLester- once to the point of unconsciousness- remained silent out of fear for years. It was not until 2007, when the victim was fifteen, that the crime was reported to police at the urging of the young girl’s aunt with whom she had recently confided. Defendant McLester was indicted in 2008.

During the trial, child experts testified about ‘delayed disclosure’ and the reasons that young victims are hesitant to report sexual abuse, including fear, shame and feelings of guilt. Recognizing delayed disclosure in young victims, the Georgia Legislature has adjusted the statute of limitations in sexual abuse cases involving children. According to the law, if the victim of Child Molestation or Aggravated Child Molestation is under the age of sixteen at the time of the offense, the statute of limitations does not begin to run until either the child has reached age sixteen or until law enforcement has been notified-whichever is earlier. District Attorney Howard calls the conviction a victory beyond the courthouse walls saying, “This is validation for this young woman who has carried the emotional scars of this crime for her entire childhood. Her courage to come forward even after so many years had passed is not only commendable but provides a degree of hope for all the other young victims as well. I hope this verdict encourages them to break their own respective silence and seek justice for the sexual crimes against them.”

Marcus McLester will be sentenced at a later date by Fulton County Superior Court Judge John Goger who presided over the case.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa Redmon of the Crimes Against Women and Children Unit prosecuted the case with assistance from Senior ADA Sally Butler and DA Investigator Genard Tindal. Detective G. Walton of the Atlanta Police Department led the investigation.

Media Contact: Yvette Brown, 404-224-0560/404-392-8867, yvette.brown@fultoncountyga.gov