RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – A Zebulon man who was found guilty Thursday on a bevy of charges stemming from the rape of a 6-year-old was sentenced to a minimum of 85 years in prison.
William Brandon Coffey, 33, was found guilty of raping and sodomizing a 6-year-old girl in a bathroom at Body of Christ Church in Raleigh. The incident happened on Sept. 1, 2015, documents show.
Coffey was found guilty of a first-degree sex offense with a child, first-degree kidnapping, and indecent liberties with a child.
On Friday, a judge sentenced him to a minimum of 1,021 months in prison and a maximum of 1,402.
In court, it was revealed it took Coffey 8 minutes to rape the girl.
“When you think about that 8 minute segment, that segment will recur 5,513,412 times before you would even be eligible for release,” the judge said.
The young girl was at the church with her father, who was at choir practice in the sanctuary of the church. It was said in court that it isn’t uncommon for choir members to bring their children to practice.
Coffey was at the church at a men’s fellowship meeting with his father and other men the evening of the offense. He was seen on surveillance video leaving the meeting twice — the first time for about two minutes, and the second for about eight.
According to the testimony, he left the meeting and encountered the victim in the hallway. He took her into the men’s bathroom where he raped and sodomized her.
He left her there and went back to the meeting.
It was brought up in court that Coffey had been incarcerated for an incident in 2009 in which he grabbed a girl at an apartment complex. He took her to a remote location, kissed her feet and legs, and then slapped her for screaming before running off.
Coffey’s father said they were given some kind of permission slip that had to be signed by church officials.
Pastor Kelvin Redmond said he had no knowledge of any written or verbal permission or acknowledgement of Coffey’s status as a sex offender.
The statement reads in part:
Like most churches, we believe in second chances, but in circumstances like this we would never allow someone knowingly attend or be a part of our services as a known sex offender. We value those who attend our services, especially children and take every precaution in making sure those who attend our services and programs are safe as possible.
Redmond also explained that Body of Christ Church children and youth workers must undergo a formal child-protection program, as well as a criminal background investigation before coming in contact with kids.
Redmond said he was the one that made the 911 call the night of the rape.
“This is a sad occasion for everyone and we are praying for healing for all,” he said in the statement.