Ind. parents sentenced for sexually abusing and exploiting their infant

INDIANAPOLIS (TCD) — Two 27-year-olds were sentenced to 90 years in prison combined for sexually abusing and sharing explicit images of their child on social media platforms.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, Tristan Mullins and Desley McLemore were in an on-again, off-again relationship for about three years and had a child together, who was born in June 2020. McLemore had primary custody of the child, but Mullins “had periodic visits with the baby” at his house and McLemore’s.

About a year and a half after the child was born, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said they sexually abused the infant and created more than 98 videos showing sexually explicit content. A month later, Indianapolis Metro Police Department officers obtained a tip from Google that the two had been sharing the videos online. They were “immediately” arrested.

The statement said Mullins and McLemore confessed to sharing the videos and other material on Kik, Snapchat, Facebook, and pornography websites. Mullins reportedly “wrote extremely graphic and crude captions and commentary for the videos he sent to others.”

The two pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, sexual exploitation of a child by a parent or guardian, and transportation of child sexual abuse material.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Mullins must serve 60 years in prison with 15 years of supervised release, while McLemore was sentenced to 30 years in prison and will have supervised release for life.

U.S. Attorney Zachary Myers said, “Babies are precious and vulnerable, and most parents have an instinctual desire to protect them from harm. Tristan Mullins and Desley McLemore instead chose to exploit their baby in the most cruel and unimaginable ways before she was even old enough to walk or speak.”

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