Canton Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years for Gratification of Lust of a Minor

Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Eugene Wilson, 62, pled guilty to one count of gratification of lust of a minor in Madison County Circuit Court. He was sentenced to serve fifteen years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the maximum penalty allowed by law. That time will be served day for day without the possibility of parole. He will be required to register as a sex offender after his release.

On January 3, 2024, law enforcement officers with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office were notified by the victim’s family that Wilson had been sexually abusing her for years. The victim had audio recorded an interaction on May 20, 2023 where Wilson attempted to sexually assault her while she was visiting at his house with her family, but she was able to escape his advances when another relative entered the room. In the recording you can hear the defendant ask the victim, then 14 years of age, for sex and you can hear his belt buckle unlatch.

Through the course of the investigation the victim was taken to the Children’s Advocacy Center where she disclosed that the abuse began in January 2022 and continued through December 23, 2023. The victim disclosed multiple incidents of inappropriate sexual contact over an almost two year period beginning when she was 12 years of age. The victim was a family member, and he was able to perpetrate the abuse during times when he was alone with her.

District Attorney Bramlett stated, “These types of acts, when pedophiles prey on children, are some of the worst types of abuse. We are so thankful for the quick thinking of this child who was able to audio record an essential piece of evidence in this prosecution. We hope that she can begin the long road to healing now that her abuser will spend the next fifteen years of his life in prison.”