Convicted child rapist Spencer Kidder of Wellsville prepares to leave a Lisbon courtroom in handcuffs and ankle bracelets escorted by security bailiff Steve Boyd after being sentenced Thursday afternoon to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A jury found him guilty of multiple sex-related charges after two days of testimony. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON — Judge Megan Bickerton said she didn’t believe Spencer Kidder’s repeated denials of the child rape accusations against him involving a boy 6 or 7 years old over six years– apparently, neither did the jury.

The 69-year-old Wellsville resident will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury of eight men and four women in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court found him guilty of four counts of rape, a first-degree felony, two count of sexual battery, a second-degree felony, and a single count of third-degree felony gross sexual imposition.

The first two rape charges covered the time period when the boy was under 10 years old from Jan 1, 2014 through July 16, 2018, with the other two rape charges covering the time after age 10 and under age 13 from July 17, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2020. The time period for the two counts of sexual battery and single count of gross sexual imposition all covered Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2020.

“You sit here with an air of arrogance as you try to talk over me,” Bickerton said, noting a smirk by the defendant who kept trying to interject as she was addressing him before passing sentence.

Spencer Kidder spoke on his own behalf, telling the judge “I’m not guilty of anything,” then turned around to try to face the victim and the victim’s family, prompting orders for him to turn back around. “We are not doing this,” the judge said.

The defendant talked about lies and invoked the Bible, saying “vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord,” and adding he hoped he lived long enough to see it.

“Sometimes silence is the best option. Vengeance is not something you should be talking about,” Bickerton said, noting her courtroom is not a church. She also told him that if he keeps interrupting her, it’s not going to go well.

“You’re looking for vengeance? What kind of person does that? A guilty person,” Bickerton said.

She pointed out she didn’t see any kind of remorse from Spencer Kidder and talked about the effect of the assaults on the child victim.

“Sex offenses affect a victim for the rest of their life. Thank goodness he had good people in his life,” she said.

Bickerton issued a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for each of the first two rapes, to be served concurrently to each other, then 10 years to life for the other two rapes to be served concurrently to each other but consecutive to the life without parole term, then an additional five years for the gross sexual imposition. The sentence for the sexual battery charges was merged as part of the rape sentence. County Assistant Prosecutor Tammie Riley Jones had requested life without the possibility of parole and for consecutive sentences. She said the offenses were the worst form of those offenses.

Defense attorney Charley Kidder, no relation to the defendant, had asked for concurrent sentences, saying “we do not believe any additional time is necessary.”

“I’m happy that he’s being put away for life without parole — that’s what I wanted,” the victim’s mother said outside the courtroom.

She chose not to address the court during the sentencing hearing, but could be seen comforting her son when the verdict was read and the sentence was handed down. She shed some tears of her own during the closing arguments.

“We’re just going to move forward and try to move on as best we can,” she said, commenting that her son’s doing well.

She had some advice for other parents, saying, “If they think something’s wrong, ask. Keep asking, just keep asking.”

Jones and Assistant Prosecutor Steve Yacovone spoke with jurors who stayed for the sentencing and then spoke with the boy and his family members who were there to support him.

“We’re satisfied with the verdict. We’re happy that the victim in this case finally got some justice,” Yacovone said.

He and Jones thanked the jurors and members of the multidisciplinary team who Jones said “work together to find justice for victims of sexual assault.” In this case, the team members included the Wellsville Police Department, Children Services and the Child Advocacy Center at Akron Children’s Hospital, along with the counselor the victim opened up to about what happened.

Jones said the jurors were convinced by the evidence.

Wellsville Police Lt. Marsha Eisenhart, who testified on Tuesday and attended the closing arguments, jury verdict and sentencing Thursday, said “it’s always a good day in Wellsville when we take a monster off the streets, getting justice for the victim.”

After his client was taken away, Charley Kidder said his client’s family was going to work on an appeal. Spencer Kidder’s son, Michael, who testified for the defense, was present in the courtroom for closing arguments, the jury verdict and sentencing.

“We appreciate the effort of the jury. We understand this is an emotional case for everyone,” Charley Kidder said.

The morning began with the closing statements, as Yacovone detailed how the state had proven all the elements of all the charges. He focused on the consistency of the victim’s testimony, the consistency of the other witnesses for the state, including the counselor the boy told about what happened, his mother, a friend of the family. The boy didn’t embellish or exaggerate. He told the jurors to consider the demeanor of the witnesses, including the defendant, who he said was snickering and laughing throughout the trial. His testimony was a mess.

Charley Kidder questioned the time it took for the victim to speak up and how no adults noticed he was cutting himself, noting that occurred after the defendant wasn’t around him. He explained away the dates the defendant gave for working at a school and seeing the child victim, dates that were before the boy was born, saying mistakes happen.

“But he said he didn’t do it, that’s the heart of the matter,” Charley Kidder said.

Yacovone spoke again and said the victim didn’t speak up because he was scared. The defendant had threatened him.

As for the defendant’s denials, of course he’s going to deny it, Yacovone said. He’s not going to admit to anything.

mgreier@mojonews.com