A Clark County jury found Sheila Granger guilty of eight felony counts of child molestation and one felony count of child solicitation Thursday night after nearly four hours of deliberation.
Before the jury read the verdict, the victims' families prayed. After hearing the verdict, Granger's family sobbed. The victims' families held hands and hugged.
Before Sheila Granger walked out of the courtroom in handcuffs, she told her family she loved them. She was not crying. Her family told her they loved her too. Prosecuting attorney Brittany Blau said Granger could spend 30 to 60 years in prison because the charges will likely run concurrently, rather than consecutively.
"I think it was a fair and just verdict. We presented the evidence and proved beyond a reasonable doubt that this happened. And the jury reviewed the whole case and found her guilty on all nine counts," Blau said.
As the victims' families left the Clark County Courthouse, the high-fived each other and said they won.
"I think they feel somewhat vindicated," Blau said.
The victims' families did not want to talk on camera about their feelings or the outcome of the trial. The Grangers also declined an on camera interview, as did Granger's attorney, Tom Hectus.
Before jury deliberations, Hectus told WHAS 11 that the boys were liars and had, at the very least, exaggerated and embellished their stories each time they told them. He said the jury could not possibly believe the preposterous scenarios of sexual encounters the boys testified about.
The prosecution said their smoking guns were not refuted by the defense. One: a positive pregnancy test that Granger testified was the one she used 11 years ago and found out she was pregnant with her youngest of two daughters. However, the prosecution pointed out the copyright date of the pregnancy test box was 2006. Both victims testified that Sheila Granger showed them a pregnancy test and said the baby was theirs. She later told them she'd had an abortion. Two: an episiotome scar. Granger and her husband testified that she indeed had an episiotome scar with her first pregnancy. A victim testified that he'd felt that scar during a sexual encounter.
"One victim testified about an internal scar that only the defendant and her husband would know about.... he would have no way of knowing about it, expect that he had personal knowledge of it," Blau said.
Granger is scheduled to be back in court Dec. 7 for sentencing.
