Rosepine man guilty in rape of child
Published 11:26 am Sunday, May 23, 2021
- Photo Credit
Pamela Sleezer
A Rosepine man is facing life in prison after being convicted Thursday for the rape of a child.
William Ray Weeks, 45, was found guilty Thursday evening on two counts of First Degree Rape that involved a victim who was under the age of 13 at the time the crimes were committed.
Jurors deliberated for just under four hours Thursday afternoon before returning the guilty verdicts just after 5 p.m., however they remained deadlocked on two additional charges of Molestation of a Juvenile. Following a poll of the jurors, Judge Martha Ann O’Neal declared a mistrial for the two molestation charges.
A conviction of First Degree Rape carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
Weeks’ trial began on Monday in the 36th Judicial District Court in DeRidder, and was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Wayne Bush. It was the first jury trial to be held inside the courthouse since March 2020 when it closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the week, jurors heard testimony from investigators with the Beauregard and Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Offices who conducted a joint investigation into Weeks in early 2018, and testimony from one of Weeks’ victims.
District Attorney James Lestage said he hoped the conviction would help bring closure to all those affected by Weeks’ offenses.
“I am very happy that we could get some measure of justice for these victims and their loved ones. We can’t ever undo the harm inflicted on these victims as children, but I hope this verdict allows those impacted by these acts as a path towards healing. I thank the Beauregard citizens who worked tirelessly as jurors and weighed all of the evidence. I commend the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office and Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office for their efforts and their investigation,” Lestage stated.
Weeks was arrested in 2018 in Vernon Parish where he was indicted on three counts of molestation of a juvenile, before being transferred into the custody of Beauregard Parish authorities.
