FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Slidell Man Found Guilty of Sexual Battery of a Juvenile Under Age 13, 1 Count of Production of Pornography Involving Juveniles Under 13 and 10 Counts of Possession of Pornography Involving Juveniles Under 13
June 4, 2021
COVINGTON – District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that on yesterday June 4, 2021 a St. Tammany Parish jury found Robert Wilson, 38 of Slidell, guilty on all counts: Sexual Battery of a Juvenile Under Age 13, 1 count of production of pornography involving juvenile under 13 and 10 counts of possession of pornography involving juveniles under thirteen. District Judge William H. Burris presided over the trial. The case was tried by Assistant District Attorneys Iain Dover and Luke Lancaster. Detective Carli Messina of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s office, investigated the case.
On May 9, 2018, the defendant, who is the ex-boyfriend of the victim’s mother, showed up with a machete in hand, at the home in which the victim’s mother was living. There was an altercation, and after he’d left the premises, the mother of the victim found the defendant’s phone lying on the ground.
By looking through his phone she discovered a video of her minor daughter being sexually assaulted as she slept. She was able to identify the abuser as the defendant by the distinctive tattoos on his hand.
During their investigation, law enforcement found two additional videos on the phone of the defendant, filming and touching the victim as she slept as well as numerous other videos of juvenile pornography.
Grandparents testified that the defendant had access to the victim on March 27, 2018 which was corroborated by time-stamped GPS records from the videos on his phone.
District Attorney Luke Lancaster stated during closing, “Pedophiles build trust. It’s how they gain access and he used that trust against the little girl that called him “dad”.
“I commend the law enforcement professionals – both detectives and prosecutors – who held this offender accountable,” said D.A. Montgomery.
The sentencing is set for June 23rd and Wilson faces 25-99 years in prison.
