AG’s Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted case, AG’s Office of Victims Advocacy provided services to victim
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 21, 2018) – A 32-year-old McCracken County man has been convicted of first-degree Rape of a minor and a jury has recommended that he serve life in prison, Attorney General Andy Beshear has announced today.
Samuel David Hunter was convicted Dec. 20 by a McCracken County jury of the crime that occurred in May 2016. According to court testimony, Hunter was living with the child’s mother at the time of the crime.
“The Attorney General is the chief advocate and protector for our Kentucky children and it’s our job to ensure our communities are safe by holding accountable anyone who would actively seek to sexually abuse a child,” Beshear said. “The punishment in this case does not undo the trauma inflicted on the victim, but it brings closure and some justice to the child and family.”
A core mission of Beshear’s is to prevent and prosecute child abuse, and provide services to victims.
Prosecutors from Beshear’s Special Prosecutions Unit are handling the case against Hunter. Beshear’s Special Prosecution Unit is responsible for assisting local prosecutors in complex or sensitive cases, as well as handling cases in which local prosecutors recuse themselves.
Beshear’s Office of Victims Advocacy provided victims services to the minor throughout the court hearings. The minor testified via closed circuit live feed in the case. Kentucky law provides for this process for victims under the age of 12.
The McCracken County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation in this case. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 2 in McCracken Circuit Court.
Hunter has prior felony convictions in Alabama from 2006 for child abuse and manslaughter. He received a 10-year sentence for those crimes.
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