April 22, 2015
(Walhalla, SC). Wilbur A. Rickmon was found guilty of Criminal Sexual Conduct, 1st Degree and Kidnapping today by an Oconee County jury. Due to Rickmon’s violent criminal history, the State sought and the defendant received a life without parole sentence from the Honorable Lawton McIntosh.
On September 27, 2013, Wilbur Rickmon called a neighbor multiple times and asked if she could help him with accessing the wifi internet at his house. Once inside the residence where the defendant was staying, Rickmon lured the victim to the bedroom under the guise of repairing the wifi connection, when, in fact, there was no wifi at the location. He had locked the front door and closed the door when they entered the bedroom. The defendant then offered the victim $50 for sex. She refused. Rickmon threw her on the bed, pinned her down and raped her. After the assault, the victim was able to escape and ran from the house and called 911. The victim was taken to Oconee Medical Center where a sexual assault kit was performed. A court order was obtained to collect DNA swabs from the defendant. SLED test results were positive for the defendant’s DNA. The victim’s underwear was recovered in the bedroom where the assault took place. This case was investigated by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office who obtained 3 conflicting statements from the defendant about the events that happened the day of the assault.
“Wilbur Rickmon is a violent criminal with a history that dates back to the 80’s,” stated Solicitor Chrissy Adams. “Due to the victim’s courage and the hard work of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, Rickmon received the sentence that he deserved today.”