Hampton County man convicted of raping, impregnating a 10-year-old girl in 2016
A 37-year-old Estill man was sentenced to life Wednesday for raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl inside her home in 2016, a 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office news release said.
Tony Orlanda Singleton was found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor by a Hampton County jury in 51 minutes.
Ten witnesses were called during the two-day trial.
In April 2016, the girl told a crime investigator that a man who knew her mother came into her room one night a few months earlier while she was watching SpongeBob SquarePants, the release said. She said he turned off the TV and lights, then raped her.
When the girl’s mother took her to terminate the pregnancy, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division took a DNA sample from the fetus, according to the release. The DNA later linked Singleton with the fetus.
“This man was someone she trusted, someone who lurked inside her home, someone who changed the fabric of his victim’s life forever,” Solicitor’s Office prosecutor Hunter Swanson said.
Previously, Singleton was convicted on traffic and drug charges, the release said.
This story was originally published August 7, 2019 at 3:36 PM.
