December 11th 2009

PEORIA, Illinois — The actions of a South Peoria couple within the past year so stumped a federal judge Friday that he could find no reason to cut them a break and sentenced them to maximum 30-year sentences for making sexually explicit videos with an 8-year-old child.

U.S. District Judge Joe McDade, as he does with every defendant, tried to get inside the heads of Raymond E. Freeman, 51, and Tammy Watters, 43, (pictured left) to find some reason for a lesser sentence. In this case, he wanted to know why they would not only have sex with the child, who suffers from Asperger’s Disorder, a form of autism, but then film it.

“This is one of the worst cases of child abuse I have seen . . .,” McDade said. “And then you make a recording of it. Why? Why did you do that?”

Watters tried to answer but came up with nothing beyond tears. Freeman, about an hour later, didn’t have an answer, either.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Schoenbein blasted the pair, calling their actions “horrifying.” The boy, he said, is having trouble with his foster parents because of the abuse by Watters and Freeman.

The prosecutor noted that each had incidents in their past which could have sent things down a different path. For Freeman, it was a 32-year-old woman he molested until she was in fifth grade. After each incident, the woman said Freeman would promise not to hurt her again, but those promises were often broken, the woman said on the stand.

Later, she confronted Freeman about the abuse, prompting him to admit that he was molested as a child as well.

Watters had two daughters taken from her because she was caught having sex in front of them. Schoenbein said something inside of Watters was “broke.”

McDade also chastised the pair, as they were both sexually abused at some point and both had difficult childhoods, particularly Freeman, who was physically and sexually abused. McDade acknowledged such a childhood does begin a cycle that is hard to stop, but he said that still is no excuse for their actions. The judge had harsh words for Freeman for not getting help, even when he knew he had a problem.

Why didn’t Freeman get help when he knew he was out of control, the judge asked.

“I tried to drink my problems away,” Freeman said weakly, “Maybe if I had gone to counseling, I wouldn’t be here. Drinking didn’t help.”

The videos feature Watters engaging in some form of sexual activity with the child. One of the videos has both adults in it as well. Both took turns filming. During one, Freeman is heard telling Watters and the boy to look at the camera.

Police learned of the couple after a person who was at their house noticed “hundreds” of compact discs and DVDs sitting on a table and went to police.

A federal warrant was authorized on April 29, and police searched the house, finding three computers, a flash drive, the discs, a video camera recorder and a cell phone with a camera. According to court records, the videos were taken between June and October of last year.

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x962895290/South-Peoria-couple-sentenced-to-30-years-for-abusing-child

Previous Report On This Case:-

http://www.pjstar.com/news_police/x636398396/Child-porn-suspect-turns-herself-in-to-police