Four men charged with rape and sexual abuse of children
Four men have been accused of multiple felony acts of sexual abuse of children, including an infant. The case came to light after video evidence of sexual abuse was found on a cell phone by one of the victims’ parents, according to Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich’s office.
Daerius Ice, 23; Isiah Hayes, 21; Antonio King, 26 and Antoine Wilson, 30, collectively face multiple charges of felony rape and aggravated sexual exploitation of a child, according to court documents.
Weirich’s office said the incidents occurred between July 2016 and October 2017. The three victims included a nine-monthold female infant, a four-year-old girl, and a three-year-old boy.
Ice, who was 17 at the time, allegedly “organized and directed others to perform and video sex acts on the children for distribution,” according to Weirich’s office.
In March of 2017, Wilson and at least one other person allegedly kidnapped the four-year-old victim from the front yard of her South Memphis home. She was forced to perform sexual acts on Wilson, Weirich’s office said, and was then dropped off near her house.
The defendants also face charges of criminal conspiracy and especially aggravated kidnapping.
Weirich’s office said the case against the men is supported by statements from the defendants, videos, text messages, social media posts, and DNA evidence.
Prosecutors with the Special Victims Unit will try the case in court. The defendants are due in court on July 27.