South Connellsville man sentenced to 100 years in prison for child rape
A 60 year-old South Connellsville man will effectively spend the rest of his life in prison after a Fayette County judge sentenced him to a century behind bars for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old.
Fayette County Judge Mark Mehalov sentenced James Gibson Jr., to serve five consecutive 20-to-40-year sentences for child rape, giving him an total sentence of 100 to 200 years in a state prison. Gibson was also deemed a violent sexual predator.
Gibson, who proclaimed his innocence before he was sentenced on Monday, was convicted in July of sexually assaulting a child over a five-year period starting in 2018.
No one with the victim’s family wished to make a statement before sentencing, said Assistant District Attorney John Kopas.
“We just ask that the defendant be sentenced appropriately for the very heinous crimes he committed,” Kopas requested from the judge.
Julia Lindemuth, a member of the state’s Sexual Offender Assessment Board who was tasked with reviewing Gibson’s case, recommended Gibson be classified as a violent sexual predator.
In making the determination, Lindemuth testified she considered a number of factors, including Gibson’s prior criminal record, knowing the child he abused and his continued abuse of the child after the abuse was brought to light. She told Mehalov there was a likelihood that Gibson would reoffend if given the opportunity.
“Usually as the person gets older, they’re less likely to reoffend,” Lindemuth told the judge. “However, that is not the case in this situation as Mr. Gibson was actively offending at his advanced age which is consistent with sexual deviance.”
Lindemuth said Gibson meets the criteria for pedophilic disorder with traces of antisocial disorder, which would also contribute to Gibson likely reoffending.
“Pedophilic disorder requires a pattern of behavior that spans a minimum of six months. In this case he was convicted of crimes spanning the course of several years against a prepubescent child,” she testified.
Gibson’s attorney Phyllis A. Jin pointed out that her client’s prior criminal convictions were over 10 years ago and were not violent in nature but revolved around alcohol.
Jin also pointed out that Lindemuth had not reviewed the transcript of Gibson’s July trial, but instead relied on the testimony from his preliminary hearing in 2023.
Mehalov also sentenced Gibson to 10 to 20 years in a second case involving sexual abuse, though that sentence will run concurrently to, or at the same time as, the 100-to-200-year sentence. The judge also ordered Gibson to have no contact with the victim in the cases.