The District Attorney’s Office for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit today announced the conviction of Richard Gilley, age 58, for one count of Aggravated Child Molestation and one count of Aggravated Sexual Battery in Camden County Superior Court. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Cameron Atwood.
On Monday, June 9, 2025, Defendant Richard Gilley pled guilty to one count of Aggravated Child Molestation and one count of Aggravated Sexual Battery against a 14-year-old girl.
After the defendant pled guilty, Judge Robert Guy considered the arguments of the prosecutor and the arguments of defense counsel and then sentenced Gilley to serve a term of life in prison for Aggravated Child Molestation and life in prison for Aggravated Sexual Battery, to run concurrent with the Aggravated Child Molestation sentence.
Evidence gathered by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Gilley, who had known the victim from an early age and was referred to by her and others as “Papa,” consistently engaged her through email messages and in person to groom her. Using his close relationship with the victim and her family, Gilley took the victim back to his home after church and repeatedly molested her before he returned her to her family on the same day.
Eventually, email messages between Gilley and the victim were discovered by a family member, and law enforcement was notified. Further investigation by Deputy Bethany Stillwell, Investigator Jonathan Chrissley, and Investigator Nathan Daniel of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office uncovered Gilley’s culpability in the molestations and established that the abuse occurred during the period of time from June through August 2024.
Assistant District Attorney Cameron Atwood, who prosecuted the case and handled the plea, praised the Camden County Sheriff’s Office for its investigation, stating that “though this case began with a betrayal by the Defendant, it has ended with the combined trust and cooperation of law enforcement, the family of the victim, and the District Attorney’s Office securing justice for not only the victim, but for our community as well.”
Members of the media with further questions may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.
