William Wellington “Billy” Hooper of Mathews was sentenced to life in prison on Monday by Judge David Novak of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond.

The sentence came after a jury trial last September, during which Hooper was convicted of four counts of crimes involving minors. At that time, it took the jury less than an hour and a half to deliberate before returning guilty verdicts on charges of conspiracy to produce child pornography, production of child pornography, and two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor.

Hooper was sentenced to life on each of the two counts of coercion and enticement as well as 30 years on each of the other charges, all four sentences to run concurrently.

In a lengthy, handwritten statement, Hooper raised numerous objections to the pre-sentence report that was completed by the government after his conviction, but the judge did not accept them. He said that most of the objections were related to the fact that Hooper has refused to accept the verdict and continues to maintain his innocence. One objection raised by Hooper’s attorney John Rockecharlie, however, had to do with allegations made by Hooper’s former wife that he had molested his stepdaughters, and Judge Novak said that he would have stricken the allegations anyway, since they hadn’t been litigated, and that he would not consider this in the sentencing.

Another objection Hooper raised concerned the premise stated by the government that the defendant perjured himself when he made false statements while testifying on his own behalf. Rockecharlie argued that Hooper had a right to defend himself, that he truly believed in his own innocence, and that his self-defense should not be used against him during sentencing.

Novak refused to accept the objections, however, stating that Hooper gave false testimony that was “ridiculous, in my opinion.”

“He testified to escape punishment and deceive the jury,” said the judge.

Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, the young women who were involved in the activities for which Hooper was convicted, were not in court for the sentencing, instead submitting written impact statements that were not made available to the public.

U.S. Attorney Lisa McKeel had asked the judge to assess a fine of up to $50,000 against Hooper under the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assist Act of 2018, but the judge found him indigent and refused to impose any assessment beyond $100 per count, for a total assessment of $400.

Rockecharlie had asked that Hooper receive the same sentence as Jennifer Hutchens, 54, of Gloucester, who received 23 years in prison. He said such a sentence would be equal and just and provide deterrence from further criminal behavior. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hooper conspired with Hutchens to produce images of child sexual abuse of Jane Doe 1, a 15-year-old girl at the time, and her 14-year-old friend, Jane Doe 2.

Hooper’s attorney argued that Hutchens’ actions were worse than Hooper’s because she had initiated contact with Hooper, and had taken the juvenile to Hooper’s yacht, where some of the offenses occurred.

McKeel responded that Hooper was a convicted felon who had a long history of preying on children, while Hutchens had never molested children before. In addition, McKeel said that Hutchens had been in a dominant/submissive relationship with the defendant, causing her to submit to his demands.

“The whole goal was to go after Jane Doe,” said McKeel. “Thankfully, her [Jane Doe 1’s] sister came forward before it could get any worse.”

Hooper argued that his poor health should be taken into consideration during sentencing, but McKeel said that the Department of Justice can offer him any medical treatment he needs. She said that Hooper’s offenses “can’t get much worse, other than murder, when it’s regarding children.” She said Hooper is a dangerous person who deserves a long sentence.

“Child predators don’t stop after a certain age,” she said. “They should be put away … The sentence would protect the public from further crimes.”

In his own defense, Hooper said that he didn’t know why he didn’t come across as believable to the jury.

“It seems like today in our society it’s not innocent until proven guilty,” he said.

He said he had read in a transcript that a third girl had stated that Jane Doe 1 had told her that none of it had happened, that it was just a way for her to get close to another girl.

“I haven’t done any of these things,” Hooper said. “I sit here today innocent … I will continue to claim my innocence.”

In handing down his verdict, Judge Novak said that Hooper’s offenses were “horrific” and that the evidence was overwhelming, “as strong as I’ve seen.” He said Hooper had perjured himself and that his testimony “was not in the realm of believability.” He said Hooper had no feeling of responsibility, and that his sentence needed to reflect the seriousness of his offenses and provide deterrence.

Not only did Hooper molest a child and manipulate a woman so he could have access to her child, said Novak, but he wanted other children, and “the younger the better.”

“I can’t think of a more serious crime other than murder,” he said. “He is a predator, a manipulator, a fraud, and a liar, and now justice has caught up with him. His sentence is well deserved.”

The judge told Hooper that he has 14 days to file an appeal.

Officials comment

After the hearing, Mathews Sheriff Mark Barrick, who attended the proceedings, along with Major John Williams and Investigator April Edwards, said he couldn’t be more thrilled with the verdict.

“He couldn’t be more deserving,” said Barrick. “And I couldn’t be more proud of the people in our office who worked on the case.”

Mathews Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Bowen, who handled the case until turning it over to the federal government for prosecution, said in a text message that Hooper is “a despicable specimen of a human being.”

“His crimes deserved the greatest punishment the law allowed,” he said.

Bowen commended Edwards “for a thorough investigation into these crimes,” as well as the Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office, the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office “for the roles they played in bringing Hooper to justice.”