Trending
A Monroe County jury sent a West Virginia man to prison for life without the possibility of parole Friday for raping two children.
Joshua Carpenter, also known as Brittney Leanna Carpenter, 32, of Huntington, W.Va., was convicted of rape of two minors under the age of 10 Thursday and the jury returned Friday to confirm the specification of classifying Carpenter as a sexually violent predator.
"There is nothing uglier than the violation of children -- this guy is a monster," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a release Friday. "If I had it my way, the law for raping a small child would allow for the death penalty."
The specification of sexually violent predator did allow for additional prison time, as other specifications such as using a weapon in the commission of a crime afford prosecutors in other cases.
Carpenter, who is currently living as a man but previously lived as a woman, faced six counts of rape, all first-degree felonies, with specifications including the use of force on his victims and qualifying that both victims were under 10 years old.
"Our office was asked to prosecute the case because we have prosecutors specifically trained in finding justice for crimes against children," said Steve Irwin, media contact with the attorney general's office.
The jury trial this week focused on Carpenter's violation of both children, whom Irwin said testified.
"This was something that was ongoing for the last several years," explained Irwin, though he said the current ages of the children and their relationship would remain undisclosed to protect the victims.
Monroe County Sheriff Charles Black could not be reached for comment Friday.
Irwin said the jury found that Carpenter had and would be likely to commit sexual crimes again and the specification resulted in a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility for parole.
The case was prosecuted by attorneys within the Ohio Attorney General's Special Prosecution Section.