AUSTIN, Texas – A Round Rock man was found guilty on all charges Tuesday afternoon in the kidnapping case involving two girls.
- Incident happened in 2017
- Guilty on all four charges
Terry Miles was charged with two counts of kidnapping, one charge of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and one charge of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The trial began on January 29 after a four-month delay. The incident happened in December of 2017 and involved two girls, one was 7 years old and the other was 14 years old.
READ MORE: Trial Begins for Accused Kidnapper Terry Miles
Police found the girls' mother, Tonya Bates, beaten to death in their home and the girls missing. Investigators eventually found the girls in Colorado with Miles. The federal charges stem from Miles taking the girls across state lines.
"When you’re talking about kidnapping a minor, not related to you, taking them across state lines, sexually abusing them, I’m glad there’s a 20 year mandatory minimum in this case. The only regret is that this defendant has a long list of domestic abuse and other sorts of offenses in his past record. Boy, I wish he had been subject to a longer sentence earlier on and maybe this wouldn’t have happened,” Bash said.
Defense attorneys declined to comment after the judge read the verdict. During the trial, the defense argued Miles wanted to protect the girls from people Bates associated with. They pointed to inconsistencies in the girls' statements, but jurors ultimately agreed with prosecutors for the government.
“There was nothing about him that was a protector, there was nothing about him that wanted to bring them to safety. That’s typical with abusers, it’s all about them, it’s not about anybody else,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Devlin, one of the prosecutors in the case.
So far no one has been charged in the mother’s death, but Miles has been named a person of interest. The Round Rock Police Department Tuesday afternoon stated any further charges would be determined by Williamson Country District Attorney Shawn Dick. Round Rock Police Department Chief Allen Banks Tuesday issued the following statement:
"I am pleased with the guilty verdict against Terry Miles. I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, and the men and women of the Round Rock Police Department and all our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly on this case. Our prayers are that this verdict starts the healing process for the two victims."