A former member of the Coast Guard was sentenced to 200
years in prison on 14 April after he was found guilty of raping an
18-month-old girl in a motel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In a brutal case
of sexual assault, the accused tied the toddler to the motel bed and
raped her, recording the whole ordeal.
Judge Mark Trusock referred to 29-year-old Eric Devin
Masters as an "evil individual" as he handed down the sentence. "You are
truly an evil individual and we need to make sure that you are never
allowed in society," said Judge Trusock. "You took an 18-month-old
little girl, an innocent little girl, to a motel with the specific
intent, with a camera, with straps.
"You stripped this little girl down, you tied her arms and
legs to the bedposts. You proceeded to rape this child... 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." Masters carried out the
sexual assault in 2012. He is further accused of urinating on the victim
after the rape.
According to FBI, Masters traded the videotaped rape of the young victim to acquire more videos of child pornography, reported KTLA5 News.
As the courtroom audience sat shocked hearing the facts of the case,
Masters said he was "sorry" for doing "horrible things to others."
"With God's help we can both be healed ... God is my refuge and
salvation and through Him I can be redeemed from these tragedies,"
Masters said. The victim's mother, however, was relentless in her cries
for justice. "This man has given my daughter a life sentence that she
will never forget ... I beg you, your Honor, don't let him get out. He
doesn't deserve to be in the outside world," said the victim's mother.
"I want to send a clear message to the Parole Board that
when you are first considered for parole, and that won't be until you're
79 years old, that I don't want you out," said Judge Trusock. "We're
done. Take him to prison."
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