A Michigan man convicted of tying an 18-month-old girl to a motel bed and recording himself repeatedly raping her so he could sell the video to other child predators has been handed a 200-year prison sentence, court documents reveal.
During the sentencing hearing, Kent County Circuit Court Judge Mark Trusock said that Eric Devin Masters, 29, is “truly an evil individual” who should be locked up for life.
“This incident is one of the most egregious things that I’ve ever had to deal with in dealing with criminal cases for 31 years,” Judge Trusock said. “You are truly an evil individual and we need to make sure that you are never allowed in society.”
Masters apologized for his actions and, as an explanation, said, “Something horrible was done to me and numbed my emotions to others.” The convict went on to say that God will heal him.
“God is my refuge and salvation and through Him I can be redeemed from these tragedies,” Masters added. “I’m sorry for committing this horrible crime.”
In February, Masters pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Kent County Circuit Court. The massive sentence he was handed has been tacked onto the fifty-year sentence he is already serving for a previous child sex conviction.
Masters was prosecuted for assaulting the 18-month-old at least three times over an eight-day period in 2012 at a motel near Byron Township, Michigan. One of the videos allegedly shows Masters sexually assaulting the child as she was tied to the bed. Another allegedly shows him urinating on her.
He already has one conviction, having been found guilty of exploiting, raping, and making still and video images of a number of children between 2010 and 2012. One video depicted his rape of a small girl on Christmas Day in 2011, on Masters’ birthday.
The convicted felon was arrested with his brother, who participated in the rape of children. Masters’ brother, Timothy Masters, 32, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.