I Tricked A Sex Abuser Into Confessing And He Was Convicted
By: Toni Tails
Tags: Justice, Sexual Assault, Mental Health, Family, Parenting

If you are like me, you are sick and tired of rapists like Brock Turner getting away with their crimes. Perhaps you’ve imagined capturing a sexual deviant and putting him in a cage. I had the chance to do just that by tricking a child sex abuser into confessing on video.

How it Began

It all started on a cool summer morning in late August. My 13-year-old niece, Jaz, and my sister, Kim, woke me early to tell me a secret. Jaz’s father, Ted, had molested her — most recently, only two nights before she told her mom.

Half an hour later, Kim, Jaz, and I were in a room speaking to a police officer and Child Protective Services. Before we left the station, we found out that it would be Ted’s word against Jaz’s in court. I felt certain that I could convince Ted to confess, so I asked the police officer if I could legally record Ted without his knowledge.

I learned that our state, South Carolina, was a two-party state. This meant that as long as one other person in the room knew about the recording, the video was admissible in court. Since Kim would be aware I was recording, we could move forward with our plan to get a confession.

A Hidden Camera

Several hours later, Kim and I were alone at home. We prepared for Ted’s arrival from work. I positioned my phone on the side table to be aimed at Ted’s favorite spot on our couch. I pressed record when I heard his vehicle pull into the drive.

Kim paced the front porch chain-smoking. She and Ted had celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary only two weeks before, and she had to act naturally. She flicked her last cigarette butt into the gravel driveway, ground it flat under her heel, and forced a welcoming smile.

Kim and Ted chatted casually on the porch for the longest three minutes of my life. When Ted finally came inside, he looked nervous. Kim walked across the living room to the couch.

I glanced at the phone to be sure he was in the shot — he was. Kim gave me a questioning look, and I nodded.

Kim sat in a chair opposite Ted and cleared her throat. She decided to get it all out at once.

“Jaz told us that two nights ago, you came into her room when you thought she was sleeping. You pulled off her pajama bottoms and put your fingers in her vagina.”

still from confession video by the author

Denial

“EXCUSE ME?!! I did not do that!”

Ted’s face went three shades of scarlet, and Kim burst into tears.

“We believe Jaz. You thought she was sleeping, but she was awake. Don’t you dare call her a liar! You’ve done enough to hurt her.”

I piped in, “Look, Ted. We can either take care of this within the family, or we can go to the police. Either way, we will take care of this.

This is your moment not to be a total jackass and at least admit you did it. If you don’t, we are leaving right now, and the next person who asks you will be the police.”

Confession

Ted was quiet for a moment. His face was red, and he was tearing up. He took off his glasses and polished them on his shirt.

“Did you do it?”

He took a breath, “Yes.”

Kim almost lost it then. We knew it was true, but everything had happened so fast it felt like a dream. Ted’s one-word response brought us crashing back to reality.

We talked to Ted for 30 minutes. He blamed alcohol for his actions and claimed he didn’t remember raping Jaz.

The most chilling part of the confession came when I asked him when he first felt sexual attraction to Jaz. I was hoping that if he admitted to several sexual assault instances, it would lead to more jail time.

“When she stopped looking like a baby and more like a girl.”

I had to remain calm, which was difficult at this point.

“Do you mean around 4 or 5-years-old?”

He responded, “More like 6 or 7.”

Kim stood up then. She walked to him and handed him her wedding ring. He broke into loud sobs.

still from confession video by the author

In the end, Ted admitted on video that he sexually assaulted Jaz so many times that he couldn’t give us a number. He admitted to fondling her and putting his fingers in her.

Ted never admitted to brutally raping Jaz when she was 8-years-old. He claimed that he might have been so traumatized by his own actions that he blocked it from memory. Ted stuck to this story when he confessed again to Child Protective Services.

After the Confession

It was 6 months before he was arrested. Another 6 months passed before he was tried for his crimes.

The video confession clearly proved that Ted had regularly committed the crime of sexual assault for 8 years. However, Ted was only tried for the most recent sexual assault. The lawyers offered a plea for a lesser crime, but Jaz said she’d rather go to trial than accept the deal.

Ted’s lawyer reminded the judge that Ted had never been arrested and had devoted twenty years of service as an EMT and five years as a police officer. He blamed Ted’s traumatic childhood and stress at work. The judge promised that he would keep all of that in mind while he decided the sentence.

Ted received twelve years out of a possible twenty-year sentence. With good behavior, he’d serve eight.

The Last Word

Jaz got her to say in court. She looked tiny, tucked into a witness box, in the big courtroom. But her voice was strong, and she looked directly at Ted while she spoke.

“You won’t admit you raped me, but you and I know you did. You have ruined my childhood. I have nightmares every night, and I tried to kill myself at Christmas. How dare you sit there crying about what you did! You deserve life in jail. You are a coward.”

Jaz marched away from the witness stand, and she didn’t look back.

Note from the Author About Jazmin

Every piece I write concerning my niece, Jazmin, is written with her express permission. She feels no need to be ashamed and wants everyone to know her story.

She hopes, more than anything, that her story will help other survivors.