Overview
- A Gwinnett County jury found 51-year-old William Linn McCue guilty of felony murder, two counts of rape, three counts of aggravated child molestation, and two counts of incest after under four hours of deliberation.
- A judge ordered three consecutive life terms without parole, followed by a fourth life term and an additional consecutive 120 years in prison.
- Prosecutors said the case grew from a fatal house fire on April 17, 2022, when the girl, who had been locked in a windowless bathroom and slept on plywood over a tub, died of smoke inhalation.
- Trial testimony and evidence described years of systematic abuse including beatings, forced shock collars, forced nudity on cinder blocks, denial of toilets, and no school enrollment; the 15-year-old son testified he started the fire to escape the abuse.
- The children were removed from the home and have shown improvement but remain developmentally and educationally behind; the mother, Carina McCue, pleaded guilty, received a 90-year sentence, and testified for the prosecution.