A former Union County man will serve two consecutive life sentences following his conviction today for molesting a 15-year-old girl. William Jacob Nutt, 23, was found guilty of aggravated child molestation and aggravated sexual battery. The jury found him not guilty of a third charge of rape.
After the verdict, Chief Superior Court Judge Paschal A. English admonished Nutt for not taking the trial seriously, as he was seen laughing or smiling at inappropriate times during the trial.
At the time of the incident, Nutt had been staying with relatives who took him in after he was released from prison. He had been serving time for burglary and forgery in the first degree after he was convicted on those charges in Union County in April 2007.
The victim testified Tuesday morning in detail about the incident, court officials said. Also Tuesday the nurse who conducted the rape examination testified that she found three injuries that were consistent with the victim’s statement, officials said.
Nutt’s defense attorney, Kim Cornwell, in her opening statement Monday said that none of her client’s DNA was ultimately found in tests conducted subsequent to the victim’s rape exam. Cornwell said that was notable especially because of the specific accusations the victim made against Jacob Nutt.
The victim’s father testified Monday that Nutt told him after the incident that he “got drunk and horny” though he stopped short of saying that Nutt specifically admitted to the allegations that were lodged by the victim.
Nutt’s uncle, David Nutt, testified that he spoke with his nephew briefly on the phone following the incident and asked why Jacob Nutt was kicked out of the home by the victim’s father.
Jacob Nutt in that conversation “admitted he may have made an advance” toward the victim, David Nutt recalled.
