A man has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for grooming his girlfriend's 15-year-old daughter and raping her at their residence near Puyallup.
Anthony Charles-Lee Churchill, 32, pleaded guilty in Pierce County Superior Court to three counts of third-degree rape of a child on June 13. On Friday, Judge Shelly Speir-Moss gave him 34 months in prison for the felony, the high end of the standard sentencing range for defendants prosecuted in similar cases.
Charging documents accused Churchill of having sex with his girlfriend's daughter numerous times over a three-month period in 2021. According to court records, the assaults began at the couple's residence near Puyallup while the victim's mother was asleep in another room. In July that year, the mother called the police to file a report.
A former roommate who lived with the victim reportedly told investigators that Churchill showed an unusual amount of interest in the daughter. According to the declaration for determination of probable cause, the roommate said it was clear the girl was being groomed, and he and another roommate told her mother about their concerns.
In a forensic interview, the daughter reportedly said Churchill treated her like she was special, purchased things for her, including a ring, and took her places. She said the first time they had sex, she told him she didn't want to, but he said, "Everything would be OK," and she quit telling him no.
Prosecutors filed charges against Churchill on Nov. 4, 2021 for four counts of third-degree child rape, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest after he didn't appear for arraignment two weeks later. In January the next year, the Sheriff's Department asked the public for help locating him, and deputies said Churchill turned himself in.
Two counts of third-degree child rape were dropped as part of a plea agreement, according to court filings. Churchill has one prior felony conviction in Pierce County for third-degree domestic-violence assault in 2015.
In an impact statement submitted to the court in May, the victim said she had been struggling with PTSD and severe anxiety for the past two years. She wrote that the trial for Churchill was pushed back four times, and she was praying that the next trial date would move forward, telling the judge she was ready to face it.
The victim said Churchill was a danger to society who shouldn't be allowed to live among the public.
"To groom and rape someone is not some petty crime," the victim wrote. "He needs to be truly faced with the reality of who he has hurt, and that time is now."
