'One Of The Most Revolting Cases I Have Seen': Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty To Abusing Disabled Twin Daughters
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Just two days before he was set to stand trial, a Minneapolis man pleaded guilty to abusing his mentally disabled adult twin daughters. One of them he raped. The other he beat so severely she lost sight in one eye.
Jerry Lee Curry, 52, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree assault and child endangerment, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office says. Curry also admitted to aggravating circumstances, which would allow for him to receive a harsher sentence than those outlined by state guidelines.
Mike Freeman, the county attorney, said in a statement Thursday that because Curry pleaded guilty it saved his daughters from having to testify and thereby relive trauma.
"This is one of the most revolting cases I have seen," Freeman said.
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In a hearing Wednesday, Curry admitted to forcing one of his mentally disabled daughters to have sex with him. According to a criminal complaint, the daughter gave birth to a child, and a DNA test showed that Curry was the father.
Curry also admitted Wednesday to beating his other adult daughter so badly that she lost sight in one eye. The criminal complaint states that the twins told investigators that Curry would keep bound in chains for days on end.
The child endangerment count, a gross misdemeanor, stems from Curry admitting that his other daughter, who was about 10 years old at the time, saw the abuse of her older sisters. The girl told investigators she was sometimes made to hit her sisters with a stick.
Curry is slated to be sentenced on Feb. 20. At the sentencing, other charges against him in the case, including stalking, criminal abuse by a caregiver and another rape charge, will be dropped.
Curry is expected to be sentenced to serve 20 years in prison, with 10 years under supervised release.
Curry's wife, Sheila Wilson, was also charged in the case. Last year, she pleaded guilty to felony child neglect. She is slated to be sentenced on March 11.
Following Curry's arrest last year, his neighbors in south Minneapolis said they weren't surprised to hear about the abuse, saying that they'd called police numerous times with concerns.
According to records obtained by WCCO, Minneapolis police responded to Curry's home more than 50 times since 2011 on welfare checks, reports of lost children and domestic abuse.
The county attorney's office says prosecutors have filed for a termination of parental rights against Curry. That trial is set for May.