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Mentally-Challenged Man, 29, Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting 2 Minor Female Relatives

SANTA ANA (CBS) — A mentally-challenged 29-year-old Santa Ana man was convicted Wednesday of sexually assaulting two young girls related to him, a prosecutor said.

John Ray Williams would engage in "simulated sex" with the girls, who were 4 and 5 years old, Deputy District Attorney Whitney Bokosky said.

Williams would have "the girls straddle him while he was lying down and manipulating their bodies to simulate sex," Bokosky said.

Williams used his fingers to sexually assault one of the girls on four separate occasions between January 2009 and June 2009, Bokosky said.

Williams faces up to 105 years to life in prison, Bokosky said.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 16.

Williams' attorney, Orange County Public Defender Lisa Kopelman, argued during the trial that Williams has such a low IQ that he is mildly mentally retarded and "couldn't form sexual intent" with the girls, according to Bokosky.

Kopelman also argued Williams couldn't know the difference between right and wrong, Bokosky said.

One test put Williams' IQ at 58, Bokosky said.

"It's really disappointing on all levels," Bokosky said. "It's really sad because he is mentally retarded, but he was engaging in predatory behavior."

Williams was convicted of two felony counts of lewd acts with a minor and four felony counts of sexual penetration of a child younger than 10, according to court records. He was acquitted of two felony counts of lewd acts with a minor and a felony count of forcible lewd acts on a child, according to court records.

Jurors also found true a sentencing enhancement for multiple victims, according to Bokosky.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

 

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