The Willis Family: Rape Charges Part 2

[Lizzie]

hey first time poster long time lurker

where are yall getting this jessica info/ pics from (ie Instagram? etc  ) ive been trying to find but have no luck  . . . . can someone help me ?

[Phoenix]

On 3/17/2017 at 9:36 AM, mstee said:

I hope that his family has found a permanent house to live in and are financially ok. Hopefully this can be a fresh start for them and a time to heal.

In past general reading about the Willis family, I came across a reference to Toby Willis having received in the neighborhood of $10M as his part of the wrongful death settlement around his family members killed in that infamous car accident. It was at that point that he could afford to "retire" due to back injuries and focus on creating the Willis Clan family band. Plus they had two TV shows and whatever they made performing their band gigs. I honestly think the Willis family was set for life long before Toby's arrest. Even if Brenda divorces him, there are enough minor children and resources that Toby will be required to support his family financially for years  to come.  

Kudos to the older kids who are branching off into leather-crafting, dance lessons etc... As horribly screwed up as their upbringing was, they are not a lazy bunch. I strongly suspect the money situation is currently just fine and the young adults in the family will find ways to take care of themselves in the years ahead. 

Nope, don't have a link, nor the time or patience to go looking for it right now. 

[LiLSeaWitch]

Brenda seems to be really involved in her children's lives. I hope that somehow she manages to keep Toby away from the family finances and makes him go with a public defender. I just can't see Brenda being the "stand by you man" type woman with these sort of charges against him. I was so glad to read her statement saying they were cooperating with the DA. The tone of her statement when it referenced her husband, she seemed to put a distance between him and the family  

I feel sorry for her and all the children, this has got to be so extremely hard on them. 

[amazing707]

On 12/1/2016 at 10:37 AM, livinginthelight said:

There's no way he'd get off on insanity. Even Andrea Yates - who truly was insane - wasn't able to get that defense upheld. And there is no evidence that they are aiming for that defense.

I'm picturing a scenario where a very controlling, very angry man who is used to calling the shots and getting lots of praise for doing so, suddenly is caged up and isolated from the very people he controlled. I can imagine him raging in his cell, possibly raging enough that his attorney - who, like all attorneys, loves to delay - thinks he is causing enough of an uproar to merit a request for the competency evaluation. He may simply be extremely pissed off and uncooperative with the attorney. It won't hold up but it is a good delaying tactic.

 

 

Looks like hes trying to say hes not fit for trial not plead insanity. If a person pleads insanity they are saying they were insane when the crime happened and were too crazy to know what they were doing so they should get off. Not being fit for trial means he has a mental issue or health issue now that stops him from being unable to stand trial at this moment. He stay locked up until he is stable enough for trial or if he never becomes stable enough until he dies..

[Eve]

According to Fox 17 news Nashville, he plead guilty to 4 counts of child rape this morning. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison. (25 +25 + 40+ 40 running concurrently) 

[SweetLaurel]

Oh wow.  Thank you for sharing that - I thought it was coming up at some point but.... Huh.   Hope all the kids have been getting some good therapy - that has to rock their world.  

[JenniferJuniper]

Yikes.  What a piece of shit.  Poor family.

[HRM1216]

http://fox17.com/news/local/willis-clan-dad-gets-40-years-for-child-rape

There's the article if anyone is curious. 

[Palimpsest]

Thanks @HRM1216  I was just going to post that link.

So he plead guilty to all four counts.  I'm glad for his victim(s) that they were spared having to testify in court.

"Willis received two-25 sentences and two-40 years sentences to run concurrent, meaning he will spend the maximum of 40 years behind bars."

Unless there is a possibility of parole (and it doesn't look like it) I expect he'll die in prison.  Best place for him.

ETA.  This article says that the sentences are to be served at 100% so no chance of parole.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/cheatham/2017/07/11/willis-clans-toby-willis-pleads-guilt-child-rape/468319001/

[Howl]

So glad this guy got the sentence he deserved! 

Here's a link to a pdf of the statement put out by the law office of Speek, Webb, Turner & Newkirk on behalf of the Willis family.  I provide this link because I'm fascinated by the Speek, Webb, Turner & Newkirk letterhead, which sports an image (probably deliberate) that looks exactly like a shark's dorsal fin. 

As someone noted upthread, he will likely die in prison.  So I'm curious.  With a plea bargain, don't the prosecutors offering a plea couch it in terms of  "take this deal; x is better than y"? He'll die in prison; what could be worse than that? 

However, what is truly infuriating are the number of fundy pedophiles and sexual predators who should be receiving these types of sentences, but are protected by their churches and pastors -- are you listening, Doug Wilson/Christ Church Moscow?

 

[Carm_88]

I'm glad that his victims have been spared telling their stories. What an ass! I guess the insanity that he was trying to fake didn't fool anyone. 

[Kylolo]

Based on my quick reading of TN law, he will have to serve 85% of his sentence.  (http://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-40/chapter-35/part-5/40-35-501)

That is a wonderful thing, if I'm reading correctly.

[ChunkyBarbie]

I am so glad his victims received some justice. I hope they are able to find peace. I also sincerely hope Toby truly feels in his soul the pain and despair he has caused and it torments him. Endlessly. 

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

As someone noted upthread, he will likely die in prison.  

That would have been me.  The post directly above yours.

Quote

So I'm curious.  With a plea bargain, don't the prosecutors offering a plea couch it in terms of  "take this deal; x is better than y"? He'll die in prison; what could be worse than that? 

There is a possibility that once he was caught Toby confessed to the lot, grovelled, asked to be punished to the full extent of the law, and not much plea bargaining went on.  

Note that there was a change in lawyer at one point.  We were rather surprised that he lost (or fired, or was dropped by) his big bucks lawyer and was represented by a public defender at the last hearing.

58 minutes ago, Kylolo said:

Based on my quick reading of TN law, he will have to serve 85% of his sentence.  (http://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-40/chapter-35/part-5/40-35-501)

That is a wonderful thing, if I'm reading correctly.

I got a bit lost in the legalese there - but I'm fairly sure judges have the option to add "with no possibility of parole" at their discretion and your link does not negate that option.   I think!

The article from the Tenessean said that the sentence would be served at 100%.  I hope that is true.  If so, he'll be 87 when he is released.  If he survives that long.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I'm so glad thrchildrendont gave to testify and he will not get out until his kids are completely grown. I hope he doesn't get one single visit, phone call, or letter from his immediate family. But I'm petty like that :-/

It's too much to hope for this kind of outcome for Bret Allen Smith :-(

[Palimpsest]

2 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

It's too much to hope for this kind of outcome for Bret Allen Smith :-(

Probably.  God has forgiven him so why shouldn't the court and everyone else.  Alan Smith and his parents are really sick puppies.  I think that one will go to trial.  Unfortunately.

[justwatching]

Considering the situation, I'm very pleased that he did the right thing and pled (pleaded?) guilty.  May the victims find peace.

[OyToTheVey]

Wow I really didn't think he would confess. It's been almost a year since the arrest. Those 12 kids must be going through hell right now. And his wife. That family has one tragedy after another. Hopefully those kids find peace and go live their own lives. 

[patsymae]

" We were rather surprised that he lost (or fired, or was dropped by) his big bucks lawyer and was represented by a public defender at the last hearing."

 

I sure hope that means that the mother and children have sole access to their (considerable) fortune.

[Four is Enough]

This is a horrible time for the victims as well as Toby's family. I hope they can all find healing from this.

[Palimpsest]

4 hours ago, patsymae said:

I sure hope that means that the mother and children have sole access to their (considerable) fortune.

It is interesting.  Toby Willis got millions in the settlement from the tragic car crash (and rightly so because it was awful. ) That money may have been placed in trust for the children.  I hope so.

What is very clear in this case is that the rest of the Willis family have cooperated with law enforcement - and have expressed absolutely no support for Toby Willis. 

It must be very hard for them.  But perhaps a relief not to pretend that everything is wonderful anymore.

I hope the family can all get on with their lives now.  I wish them the very best.

 

[MorningMist]

1 minute ago, Palimpsest said:

It is interesting.  Toby Willis got millions in the settlement from the tragic car crash (and rightly so because it was awful. ) That money may have been placed in trust for the children.  I hope so.

What is very clear in this case is that the rest of the Willis family have cooperated with law enforcement - and have expressed absolutely no support for Toby Willis. 

It must be very hard for them.  But perhaps a relief not to pretend that everything is wonderful anymore.

I hope the family can all get on with their lives now.  I wish them the very best.

 

I agree that the fact they have been very cooperative in this is telling and I am very pleased that Brenda has taken this approach. 

She grew up in a strict fundamental christian environment which probably encouraged girls to stick with their men through thick and thin (just like Anna has done with he who must not be named) and believed they could do no wrong. I think the fact that she could take that position with having that upbringing shows a great hope for the Willis children from being raised by her.

[justmy2cents]

Not gonna lie. I was surprised to read that he pleaded guilty.  So glad that the victim won't have to testify and that he'll be locked up for possibly the rest of his life.  Hope this begins the healing process for all affected.

[Jellybean]

I know this plea 'deal' doesn't look good for Toby, but maybe he was trying to protect himself from the details. I'd like to think he's selfless enough to have done it so that the victims don't have to testify, but...

[imokit]

Toby was going down.  His family were not keeping sweet and never intended to as we knew from Brenda's initial statement when he was first arrested.  

The normal fundy response is to circle the wagons and pressure people not to give dirt/testify.  They weren't doing that. Without speculating on whether the victim was one of his children or not, it is likely that his children at least knew the victim and could have been asked to testify about interactions they saw between the victim and their father.   Likewise Brenda could have also been asked to testify, for a similar reason.  You're own kids/wife testifying against you looks very bad.  Its very clear that should one or more of the children have been asked to testify, Brenda would have supported them through it.

Its one thing to go down for child rape, its a whole other thing to have your wife & children testify against you, saying they think you either did it or are capable of doing it.

Toby knew he was going down from the start, he spent the beginning of the year trying to avoid it by claiming mental health and going down the psych route.  When that didn't work and things weren't going away he bailed.

Plus - maybe his plea deal was that his sentence was concurrent instead of consecutive.  He has a chance of being alive in 40 years, no chance of being alive in 130 (25+25+40+40).

 

Brenda is my favourite fundy by far.  She drew a line in the sand and did not stand by her man when he was accused of doing something horrific.