TYLER, Texas — A jury sentenced a Tyler man on Wednesday to life in prison for continuously sexually abusing a child under the age of 14.
Clinton Wayne Harvey, 44, was found guilty of a continuous sexual abuse of a child charge in connection with raping and inappropriately touching a girl over a two-year period.
Jurors deliberated over the guilty verdict for about 20 minutes Wednesday morning in the 7th District Court. In the afternoon, the jury gave Harvey a life sentence, according to court records.
In opening statements for the punishment phase, Smith County Assistant District Attorney Richard Vance asked jurors to give Harvey a life sentence.
According to a June 3, 2021 indictment, Harvey sexually abused a young girl from Sept. 1, 2015 to Aug. 26, 2017.
Before the guilty verdict, Vance said the acts Harvey committed against the young girl were not even "animal-like" but "evil."
Vance called Harvey the "least credible human being ever." He asked the jury to reward what's right and find him guilty.
Harvey's defense lawyer told the jury ahead of deliberations that the witness who said Harvey sexually assaulted her was not credible.
In addition to the continuous sexual abuse, Harvey has also been indicted on charges of burglary of habitation, unlawful possession of a firearm and indecency with a child (sexual contact), according to court records.