Camden County Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Aggravated Child Molestation

Richard Gilley, 58, has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to one count of Aggravated Child Molestation and one count of Aggravated Sexual Battery in Camden County Superior Court. The conviction was announced today by the District Attorney’s Office for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit.

On Monday, June 9, 2025, Gilley entered his guilty plea to the charges involving a 14-year-old girl. Following the plea, Judge Robert Guy sentenced Gilley to a term of life in prison for Aggravated Child Molestation and a concurrent life sentence for Aggravated Sexual Battery.

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 as “Papa,” engaged in a consistent pattern of grooming through email messages and in person. Leveraging his close relationship with the victim and her family, Gilley took the victim to his home after church and repeatedly molested her before returning her to her family on the same day.

The abuse came to light when email messages between Gilley and the victim were discovered by a family member, who then notified law enforcement. Further investigation by Deputy Bethany Stillwell, Investigator Jonathan Chrissley, and Investigator Nathan Daniel of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office established Gilley’s culpability, confirming that the abuse occurred between June and August 2024.

Assistant District Attorney Cameron Atwood, who prosecuted the case, praised the Camden County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation. “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,” Atwood stated.