THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 8, 1994 TAG: 9409080494
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
James Perry Wilkins, an illiterate farmhand with a second-grade education, stood with hands in pockets Wednesday as he was found guilty of 13 counts of rape, sodomy and aggravated sexual battery in the molestation of two young girls.
Wilkins, 58, could face two life sentences at his Nov. 10 sentencing before Judge Rodham Delk.
It was the eighth time in 37 years that Wilkins has stood trial for violent or sex-related crimes.
Starting in 1957 with a fornication conviction in Portsmouth, Wilkins has been convicted of attempted rape, assault, abduction, sodomy, making sexually suggestive phone calls, and other crimes. He has served four jail terms.
His most recent arrest came in November when he was charged with raping a 4-year-old girl. Two other victims, who are sisters, came forward after his arrest.
Wilkins was on trial for the rape of the sisters. One count each of rape and sodomy are still pending in the 4-year-old's case.
Throughout the two-day, nonjury trial, Wilkins pleaded not guilty to all the original 19 felony indictments against him.
Wilkins portrayed himself as a kind guardian who bought the girls a pony and painted a room of his trailer lavender - their favorite color.
The victims, one of whom was about 8 at the time of the 1981 attack, told a dramatically different story, portraying Wilkins as a pedophile and keen manipulator.
One victim said Wilkins threatened to pour acid on her parents and cut off a friend's head if she told anyone of his exploits. She also said Wilkins followed their bus to school while displaying sexually explicit photographs of her and him on his vehicle's dashboard.
Police could not find any of the explicit material to which the girls referred. Police did recover a gun and machete-like knife from Wilkins' trailer in southern Suffolk, as well as nonsexual photographs and pornographic magazines.
One of the key pieces of evidence was a letter scrawled in the hand of a child. The letter, found folded in Wilkins' spice rack, was written by one of the victims and threatened to tell police of Wilkins' attacks if he did not leave the girl alone.
``He is a predator, your honor,'' Jo Anne Spencer, assistant commonwealth's attorney, said during closing arguments. ``He is a predator of young, innocent little girls.''
After the verdict was read and Wilkins was quietly escorted from the courtroom, the victims' family stood outside.
``It does make us feel better that he's been found guilty of all these charges,'' said the victims' mother. ``It's something you can never forget. But now we can put it behind us and move on.'' MEMO: James Perry Wilkins' Criminal History March 3, 1957 - Arrested on
sodomy and fornication charges in Portsmouth; found guilty of
fornication and not guilty of sodomy; fined $20.
Aug. 9, 1959 - Convicted of attempting to rape a Nansemond County
woman; sentenced to three years in jail; released on Dec. 6, 1961.
Jan. 26, 1967 - Sentenced in North Carolina to two years for the
assault of a female younger than 18; released after serving full
sentence.
Jan. 12, 1970 - Sentenced in Prince George's County, Md., to five
years for robbery and 10 years for assault with intent to maim after
originally being charged with attempted murder; sentences ran
concurrently; paroled on April 26, 1973.
March 12, 1982 - Found not guilty of charges that he abducted, raped
and sodomized a Suffolk woman.
Oct. 25, 1982 - Sentenced to five years for abduction and sodomy
after forcibly sodomizing a 19-year-old man at gunpoint; paroled Jan. 2,
1985, and completed six months' probation.
Sept. 20, 1988 - Convicted on misdemeanor charges of making annoying,
sexually suggestive phone calls to a 14-year-old Suffolk girl; fined
$500.
Nov. 3, 1993 - Charged with rape and aggravated sexual battery of a
4-year-old Suffolk girl.
Jan. 24, 1994 - Charged with a total of 19 counts of rape, sodomy and
aggravated sexual battery for attacks on two Suffolk sisters.
Sept. 7, 1994 - Convicted of five counts of rape, five counts of
sodomy and three counts of aggravated sexual battery for the attacks on
the sisters; could receive two life terms during his sentencing on Nov.
10.
KEYWORDS: RAPE SEX CRIME CHILD MOLESTER by CNB