Convicted Michigan Child Molester To Be Paroled

[celeb_2006]

Convicted Child Molester To Be Paroled - ClickonDetroit.com- msnbc.com



Prosecutors Say Man Is Still Dangerous
ClickonDetroit.com
updated 10:48 a.m. PT, Sun., Feb. 28, 2010

MONROE Mich. - Community members and prosecutors in Monroe County expressed outrage over the upcoming parole of a convicted child molester.

Rex E. Layman, 61, has served 11 years of the eight to 20 years he was sentenced to at the Pugsley Correctional Facility near Traverse City for two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

In 1998, he pleaded guilty to luring two 8-year-old girls to his home and sexually assaulting them.

The parole board has rejected release for Layman in the past, saying he continues to not show any remorse.

“He should be locked up, and throw away the key,” said Margaret Grandowicz, a mother of three who lives in the Lambertville area. “The children don’t deserve that, they don’t need to be around somebody’s that sick.”

Local 4 obtained court documents that obtain statements given by Layman during earlier interviews.

"I want a young innocent girl who will be impressed by my manliness," Layman is recorded stating. "I feel so helpless to change or help myself."


A hearing, where both sides will present their case, is planned for next Friday where a judge will determine if there are grounds for an appeal in the parole board's decision.

The Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan said the parole board makes the decision carefully and don't let people out they do not believe are ready to be out. He also said the prosecutors had originally agreed on the minimum sentence of eight years.

[buttmunch]

It's a tough one. If someone has served their sentence then, theoretically, they should be able to leave prison and rebuild their lives. If not, particularly with child abusers, then lock them away for life in an institution of some sort. I'm not sure where I stand on this one, though.

[msdeb]

paste his picture all over town. Vigilantes are a wonderful thing sometimes.

[twitchy2.0]

No they aren't. There's a legal system for a reason.

[buttmunch]

^^Thank you. I understand that people will be freaked out but let hte system do it's work. It won't always do it well but it's better than the alternative.

[greysfang]

paste his picture all over town. Vigilantes are a wonderful thing sometimes.

Agreed.

[visitor42]

No they aren't. There's a legal system for a reason.

Glad to see voices of reason.

[stef]

No they aren't. There's a legal system for a reason.

^^Thank you. I understand that people will be freaked out but let hte system do it's work. It won't always do it well but it's better than the alternative.

i totally agre.
why not start burning people on the town square again?

[crumpet]

It's a tough one. If someone has served their sentence then, theoretically, they should be able to leave prison and rebuild their lives. If not, particularly with child abusers, then lock them away for life in an institution of some sort. I'm not sure where I stand on this one, though.

Well, he sexually assaulted two people/kids. He didn't serve but 11 years for that, and 8 years as a minimum is outrageous to begin with. This is a sex offender. They are never 'ready' to be let out but at the very least should serve the full maximum sentences.

[McJag]

It's a tough one. If someone has served their sentence then, theoretically, they should be able to leave prison and rebuild their lives. If not, particularly with child abusers, then lock them away for life in an institution of some sort. I'm not sure where I stand on this one, though.

I am. Based on his own words this sick SOB has no business living in any neighborhood. He has plenty of time to victimize more 8 year old girls. He is slime and should be kept locked up-especially with the past failure to show remorse. Seems to me like he managed to fake it now.

[B.C.]

OMG this is my town...

[fgg]

these kids will be suffering long past the 8-20 years he was initially sentenced to. i think people who sexually offend children, in particular, should be locked up for life. i'm not lumping in the 16 year old who has sex with his 15 year old girlfriend.

for those of you who say "let the system work", i bet you wouldn't be willing to live next to him and have your kids cavorting about the neighborhood with him watching.

b.c. - scary!!

[B.C.]

^ Yes!

Molester’s parole protested

by Ray Kisonas , last modified February 25. 2010 11:08AM


Local law enforcement officials are trying to keep a convicted child molester incarcerated after the Lambertville man was granted parole after serving 11 years in prison.
The defendant, Rex E. Layman, 61, was scheduled to be released from the Pugsley Correctional Facility near Traverse City last week but the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office filed a motion to block the parole board’s decision.

"We want him to stay in prison," said assistant prosecutor Michael Brown. "Our office believes that if he is released, he is a danger to the community."

Mr. Layman was convicted in 1998 of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct after he pleaded guilty to luring two 8-year-old neighborhood girls into his home and sexually assaulting them.

The defendant was sentenced to serve eight to 30 years in prison and was denied parole three previous times. During therapy sessions in prison, court documents show he admitted to continually having abnormal thoughts about young girls.

"I have deviant sexual fantasies about females of all ages," he was quoted as saying in court documents. "I feel like deviant sex is all I’m good at. I want more."
In documents filed in Monroe County Circuit Court, Mr. Brown wrote that the defendant has not shown any remorse or empathy for his victims and would be a threat to society if he were released.

"The facts of the sexual assaults are heinous," Mr. Brown wrote. "It is clear from his statements … that he believes that young children want to be sexually assaulted by him."
A hearing has been set for Friday morning in Monroe County Circuit Court, where a judge will determine whether there are grounds for an appeal regarding the decision made by the parole board.

A Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman said such steps typically are taken by local jurisdictions in such cases. Russ Marlan, public information officer with the DOC, said local judges take legal steps to keep the defendant incarcerated until the case goes before the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Mr. Marlan said Mr. Layman is not part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s early release program to lower the state’s prison population to save money. He said the defendant served more than the minimal time and showed the board that he will not become a menace to society.
"The prosecutors agreed to an eight-year minimal sentence and he’s clearly past that," Mr. Marlan said. "To say releasing him is one way to reduce costs is absurd. It’s (also) absurd to say they let people out of prison when they are not ready to be released from prison."
But Mr. Brown disagrees.

"In this case, with the circumstances of the crime, he is a danger to the community," Mr. Brown said. "It is clear the Department of Corrections is trying to cut costs."
Filing court documents to keep Mr. Layman in prison is essentially saying that the DOC made a mistake in releasing him. Mr. Marlan said the parole board is composed of professionals who take the task seriously. He bristled at the claim the board erred or abused its discretion.

"Actually we find it quite offensive," he said. "They have a tremendous amount of responsibility and take it very seriously."

Court documents showed Mr. Layman had a well-paid professional job and was married with a child when he was convicted of luring the two girls into his home. He showed them pornographic movies and molested them.

While in prison he wrote in 2002 that he felt alone, was frustrated and anxious, and felt he had no purpose in life, according to documents in the court file.
"Not even God will help me," he wrote. "I tell myself that I didn’t hurt them. We were just playing."

Mr. Brown argued that the "board granted parole without reasonable assurances that the prisoner will not become a menace to society or to public safety … . It is the people’s position that defendant is likely to reoffend if he is released into society."
Circuit Judge Michael W. LaBeau will listen to arguments Friday and determine if there is enough evidence that the parole board abused its discretion by releasing Mr. Layman too soon. A member of the state Attorney General’s Office is expected to represent the Department of Corrections and Mr. Layman.

Mr. Marlan of the DOC said typically local jurisdictions side with the prosecutor’s office and the defendant’s parole is delayed. However, he added that it is common for that decision to be overturned at the next level and the parole is granted.

Mr. Layman was quoted as saying that he called his behavior a "dark, dirty secret." But he also had goals in life that included "to never have one more victim (and) to live the rest of my life in harmony and peace."
Molester’s parole protested - MonroeNews.com


Monroe hasn't forgotten about Nevaeh, the innocent 6 year old that was buried alive last fall. Haven't heard a word about finding/charging anyone with her murder.

[Mr. Authority]

Good on the protesters. We have enough problems here in MI already.