THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 23, 1994 TAG: 9412230483
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
A man who took pictures of himself raping young girls, then hung the pictures on trees near the girls' homes and threatened to kill them if they told, was sentenced Thursday to five life terms in prison plus 145 years.
James Perry Wilkins, 59, was charged with raping three young girls - two sisters during the 1980s and a 4-year-old last year. He was convicted of raping only one of the sisters, although the judge said there was no doubt he raped the others.
An illiterate farmhand, Wilkins has been arrested more than 40 times since 1957. Even before his arrest last year involving the 4-year-old, Wilkins' criminal record included four convictions for sex crimes, six assault convictions, three robberies, 15 drunk-and-disorderly convictions and more than a dozen dismissed charges of rape, sodomy, assault and other crimes.
Wilkins maintained his innocence Thursday. But victims say he befriended their families, lured the girls into his home, fondled them, raped them and then threatened them with acid, a machete or a gun.
Police said he then threatened to show photographs of the encounters to the girls' parents, once displaying the photos in his car while he drove behind one victim's school bus.
Another time, he left copies of the pictures on trees near a victim's home. Police said he hoped to frighten the girl by reminding her that he had the photographs and that he could publicize them if she told her parents or police.
``I personally cannot envision a more monstrous set of charges to come before this court,'' Circuit Judge Rodham Delk said.
Suffolk Detective Joyce Williams later called the case ``by far the worst I've ever seen in 14 years as a police officer.''
She added: ``We've wanted to get him for a long, long time.''
Other girls, she said, had accused Wilkins of assaulting them, but they wouldn't testify in court. Police stopped pursuing other charges once they felt Wilkins had been convicted of enough crimes to imprison him for life, she said.
When police arrested Wilkins late last year in his western Suffolk trailer - described by one detective as ``a child trap'' - they found girls' clothing and dozens of stuffed animals hanging on the walls. Two Polaroid cameras and numerous weapons also were on the walls, and pornographic photographs and magazines were among his belongings.
Judge Delk said Wilkins' case involved ``sexual perversion that is enough to nauseate most people.''
A West Virginia native, Wilkins started working for an elderly Suffolk man in 1988, doing odd chores, caring for the man's farm and often cooking and cleaning. Neighbors did not know of his violent past until he was arrested last year and charged with raping the 4-year-old.
The two sisters, now adults, went to police after learning of Wilkins' arrest. Charges that he raped the 4-year-old were dropped after Thursday's hearing so the girl would not have to testify in court.
Wearing a tan suit, white shirt and no tie, Wilkins became teary-eyed when his sentence was announced. He was sentenced to life for each of five rape charges, 20 years for each of five forcible sodomy charges and 15 years each for three sexual battery charges.
Prosecutor Jo Ann Spencer said the sentences all but assured that Wilkins will be in prison until he dies.
Wilkins was never educated beyond the second grade. But Spencer said he ``was smart enough to know that children are the perfect victims - they're trusting, easy to persuade and easy to keep captive with threats of violence.''
As sheriff's deputies led him out of the courtroom, his eyes red and watery, Wilkins looked at one of the victims' family members and frowned.
``You happy now?'' he asked. ``Huh? Happy?'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
James Perry Wilkins
KEYWORDS: RAPE SEX CRIME CHILD MOLESTER TRIAL
SENTENCING by CNB