Man who was own lawyer convicted of child sex abuse, gets 2 life terms
BY BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
12/04/12 at 6:07 AM
A Tulsa man who served as his own lawyer at a trial now faces two life prison sentences on sex-abuse convictions.
Tulsa County jurors found Silas Wilson Jr. guilty of two child sex-abuse counts and imposed a life term and $3,500 fine on each count.
The offenses involved two girls who are related to each other, and they occurred between Oct. 1, 2011, and April 14, 2012. One girl was 7 to 8 years old, and the other was age 9.
Wilson, who according to a court document is also known as ''Uncle Bug," denied accusations that he sexually abused the girls.
He told police the girls had stayed the night with him on multiple occasions, according to an arrest report.
Although not a trained attorney, Wilson, 55, handled his own courtroom legal work at last week's trial. A public defender was in the courtroom for advisory purposes if requested.
In delivering its verdict, the jury specified that it wanted the life sentences to run consecutively, Assistant District Attorney Sue Nigh said.
Nigh said she "wholeheartedly" agrees with that sentencing position.
District Judge Bill Musseman will decide whether Wilson gets concurrent or consecutive terms at a Jan. 7 formal sentencing.
Wilson was charged and arrested in May. He is in the Tulsa Jail.
Original Print Headline: Man faces life terms for child sex abuse
