Walker County Man Sentenced to Life for Molestation of Three Children

On August 28, 2025, Josiah Matthew Backus, 26, of Walker County, Georgia, was convicted of multiple counts of aggravated child molestation and child molestation after admitting to the repeated sexual abuse of his 6- and 8-year-old nieces and his 5-year-old nephew. He was sentenced to life in prison, with the first 35 years to be served without the possibility of parole.

The case began on August 4, 2024, when a family friend reported that Backus had confessed to abusing the children. The Walker County Sheriff’s Office immediately opened an investigation. Detective Eddie Hill coordinated forensic interviews through the Children’s Advocacy Center, where Senior Forensic Interviewer Holly Kittle spoke with the victims. All three children disclosed the abuse and corroborated one another’s accounts.

Backus later admitted to the repeated abuse in his own interview with Detective Hill and pled guilty to the charges.

The prosecution was led by Chief Assistant District Attorney Lynsay Chapman of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Detective Hill spearheaded the investigation.

District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller commended the work of law enforcement and the Children’s Advocacy Center, praising the bravery of the children. “This sentence sends a clear message: those who prey upon our children will face the full force of justice in this community. We will not tolerate predators who destroy the innocence of the most vulnerable,” Fuller said.