A child sex predator said he was sorry today, but Judge Melissa Lightcap Cianfrini wasn't completely sold on his remorse.
Then when predator Wesley Thigpen refused to sign an order of protection to acknowledge that he had been served with it, that was almost more than the judge's patience could tolerate.
"That just shows me the kind of person you are," Cianfrini said. "Don't sign it. I don't care. I'll send the order to DOCs (the Department of Corrections), and your refusal to sign it is in the transcript. When they see it at a parole hearing, they can see how you acted."
The 42-year-old Thigpen entered a guilty to predatory sexual assault against a child, a Class A-II felony, on Oct. 24. The plea agreement capped his sentence at 10 years to life.
"I took the plea deal because I wouldn't want to make them (his victims) go through a trial and have them traumatized again," Thigpen said during a lengthy statement that was supposed to be directed to the court but often used personal pronouns as if he was addressing his victims.
He had been previously warned by Cianfrini not to address his victims.
In his statement, Thigpen acknowledged that his victims and members of their family do not believe he is remorseful. He said he is.
"Breaking people's trust in you at such a massive level, of course they do not have faith in anything you say," Thigpen said. "I do have remorse. I am ashamed, and from day one, I've admitted it. I didn't hide.
"I understand the pain I caused," he added. "I am ashamed and sorry."
In 2019, while entering a guilty plea on sexual abuse charges, Thigpen called the statements against him attributed to one of his victims "(expletive) lies" after hearing the evidence the people would present against Thigpen if the case went to trial.
Today, Thigpen was less belligerent, saying he hoped his victims would find peace.
"The shame is not with you," Thigpen said. "I understand it's embarrassing and I sympathize but the shame is not with you. You have done nothing wrong. There is nothing you did that caused this to happen. It's not your fault at all."
He added, "It's not on you. It's on me. The embarrassment and shame that I caused is on me."
It was at this point that one of the victims left the room in tears and members of her family followed.
First District Attorney Joseph Robinson objected to Thigpen's statements, pointing out that he had strayed from addressing the court to addressing the victims directly.
Thigpen tried to explain that he was just trying to tell the court what he would say to his victims if given the chance.
Two victims spoke in court this morning, as well as their mother.
"I'm torn to pieces," one of them said. "You made a mess of my life. The trauma affects my regular daily life. I am stuck trying to retain any relationship in my life. I can't keep a steady relationship. It's affected me, and lately, I don't feel normal. I wish I could live a normal life."
She said she feels shame and she feels cheated.
The other victim to speak said, "it's hard to make friends with other kids and have a normal life at school. I can't ever live a normal life and I carry this sick, dirty feeling with me. It's hard for me to have a romantic relationship. I struggle with my body image and self-worth."
She said she's being treated for depression and is in counseling.
But she also said she has come out of the experience a strong and independent woman.
"I will never let another person hurt me the way you did," she said.
Their mother said, "My kids will never be the same because he took their childhood away. I struggle every day because of the terrible things he did to them."
Robinson said Thigpen deserved a long prison sentence so he would have time to think about what he did.
"He stole from them not just their innocence. They will likely have this memory for the rest of their lives. They will have this memory no matter how many years he's in prison. They will move on with their lives, maybe start families, maybe have loving families, but that memory will always be with them no matter what happens."
Cianfrini had her own lengthy statement when it came time to explain her sentencing decision.
First, she addressed the victims, only she didn't call them victims. She called them survivors.
"That's a very strong thing to be in this world, a survivor," Cianfrini said.
She said they can move on with their lives.
"You have survived something that is unsettling, but you can rise above it because you are strong. You are altruistic. You are smart. It's all of those things that are going to carry you forward in life and I believe you will have a positive impact on our society."
As for Thigpen, Cianfrini said, "Now you, Mr. Thigpen, you are poison. You are the worst kind of poison."
She added, "Sexual abuse is a poison that goes through society. It goes through whole families."
She reminded him that he had been a victim of sexual abuse and that he should know what it does to people, "and you did it anyway."
She recalled that at his hearing where he entered his guilty plea, he "tried to back peddle."
She said he likes to write letters and told him to stop trying to write letters to third parties in order to communicate with "the survivors."
"It's not legal," she said.
She noted that one of the victims left the room while he was making his statement and said that was because he doesn't know how to regulate his speech and understand its impact on other people.
"You went too far and that's what you do," Cianfrini said. "You always go too far."
After Cianfrini reprimanded Thigpen for his refusal to sign the order of protection, she pronounced sentence.
Ten years to life.
Then Thigpen tried to address the court. Cianfrini told him, "You've had your opportunity to speak." He tried again. She said, "no." Then she stood up and walked out of the chamber before corrections officers removed Thigpen from the court to return him to prison. Maybe for the rest of his life.
