Jury finds man guilty of kidnapping Wilmington girl, chaining her to tree
A jury on Wednesday convicted a Wilmington man of kidnapping a 6-year-old girl from outside her home a year ago, sexually assaulting her and leaving her chained to a tree in the woods.
Douglas Nelson Edwards, a registered sex offender, was found guilty of attempted murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious bodily injury, statutory sex offense and taking indecent liberties with a minor, according to WECT.
The girl, now 7, testified Monday that Edwards took her into some woods, put a chain around her neck and sexually assaulted her. Edwards told jurors Tuesday that he couldn't recall the incident.
"The next thing I remember is being in a neighborhood I had never been in before and there was a girl on my moped," he testified. "It scared me that I had a kid on my moped and I didn't know where she came from."
He denied assaulting the girl, saying he only kissed her forehead to calm her and chained her to a tree for her safety and always planned to release the girl.
The girl is still haunted by nightmares and is afraid to play outside, her mother testified last week.
