A Fulton County jury found Joseph Harris guilty on four counts of child sexual abuse, and a judge sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The victim was a 10-year-old child at the time of the abuse, which prosecutors say happened while Harris was caring for her in his own home.
The verdict came down Monday, according to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who announced the outcome of the case. As reported by WSB-TV, Harris had been charged with two counts of aggravated child molestation and two counts of child molestation. The jury convicted him on all four counts.
A Mother's Report Led to Years of Legal Proceedings
The case traces back to September 2019, when the victim's mother reported Harris's sexual abuse to police after her daughter told her what had happened. The child had told her mother about the abuse, setting off the investigation that eventually led to trial. At the time, Harris was caring for the woman's daughter in their home, the outlet's report notes.
Harris denied the allegations throughout the case and accused the child of lying, according to the same report. Prosecutors, however, said the abuse caused the child physical harm, including a medical condition that required surgery following a delayed diagnosis, as reported by WSB Radio.
Prior Criminal History Surfaced at Sentencing
At the time of the alleged abuse, Harris was on probation for a 2010 conviction on conspiracy to commit armed robbery, per the station's report. That prior record became part of the backdrop to a case that stretched on for years before reaching a jury.
Willis addressed the verdict directly in remarks Monday, calling the crimes reprehensible. “The defendant's cruel and repeated sexual abuse of a child entrusted to his care is reprehensible,” Willis said, according to the same account. She also said the girl and her mother showed courage during the ordeal and their pursuit of justice.
Harris now faces a life sentence with the possibility of parole, the outcome of a case that began with a mother's report to police more than six years ago and ended with a Fulton County jury's unanimous finding on all four counts.
