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West Virginia man who filmed himself sexually assaulting ex's 1-year-old granddaughter gets 700 years in prison

Richard Smith II was convicted for molesting his then-girlfriend's granddaughter around February 2015. The grandmother is facing the same charges as him

CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA: A West Virginia man convicted of filming an infant being sexually abused will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after he was sentenced to over 700 years in prison. Richard Smith II, 41, and his ex-girlfriend Roseanna Thompson, 46, had reportedly been living together in South Charleston when they filmed themselves molesting the one-year-old, the latter's granddaughter, around February 19, 2015, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

The couple was arrested in May 2018 -- they had long since separated --  after Morgan Smith, Smith's now ex-wife, found the disturbing videos while cleaning their home  and turned them over to the authorities,

They were subsequently charged with 11 counts of first-degree sexual abuse, four counts of sexual assault, and five counts of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust. Smith went on trial in January, where prosecutors showed the nine-man, three-woman jury multiple graphic videos of him and Thompson sexually assaulting the infant. He did not testify and was eventually convicted on all 20 counts after less than 30 minutes of deliberation.

At his sentencing hearing this week, Kanawha Circuit Judge Tera Salango told Smith he would be spending at least 205 years behind bars, though that number could go as high as 775 -- 25 to 100 years for each count of first-degree sexual assault, and 10 to 20 years each for the five counts of sexual abuse by a person in a position of trust.

After handing down the sentence, Salango said she felt for the jurors who had to watch the videos he had made, and that it "brought grown men to tears."

"I think that you are one of the most evil persons who I’ve ever encountered," she added.

While members of the victim's family were not present in the courtroom due to a relative's illness, assistant prosecutor Debra Rusnak spoke on their behalf and described the 41-year-old as a "monster."

"The things that he did to that child are the things that nightmares are made of," she said.

Smith is also facing further federal charges related to his child sex crimes. Thompson, on the other hand, will head to trial in April.