Gilam gets life for lewd conduct with minor

WALLACE – A Spokane man will serve life in prison for two sexual abuse with a minor related charges that occurred in Shoshone County.

The Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reports on April 13 that District Judge Scott Wayman sentenced William J. Gilman, 49, to a unified life sentence with the possibility of parole in 20 years.

Gilman pled guilty to once county of lewd conduct with a minor and another count of forcible penetration with a foreign object on January 6, 2020.

Prosecutors were able to move forward with the case after Gilman’s 8-year-old relative courageously came forward in May 2019 after being sexually abused by him during a Memorial Day weekend camping trip to Shoshone County.

“Gilman will no longer be able to hurt any other child because one boy, at the age of 8-years-old, found his voice and courageously came forward to ensure this didn’t happen to anyone else,” Prosecuting Attorney Keisha L. Oxendine said. “We heard him, we believed him, and as a result, we want to ensure Gilman cannot do this to anyone else. Gilman is the exact type of sexual predator who deserves a life sentence,”

In support of her argument to the court, Oxendine detailed the acts Gilman perpetrated upon this victim and his pattern of grooming behavior towards a child who trusted him. She also presented prior allegations that had been made against Gilman by other relatives, similar in age to the victim in this case, throughout various jurisdictions in Idaho and Washington.

The juvenile victim appeared in court at the time of sentencing and said to Gilman, “I am not afraid of you.”

The Defendant appeared from the jail through counsel, denied his culpability for the crimes, and asked for probation or a period of retained jurisdiction.

District Judge Scott Wayman agreed with the State that a unified life sentence was necessary in order to ensure society was protected.

“These laws are meant to protect children. Society demands that they be dealt with to deter each individual as well as others. Gilman has committed what I can only classify as severe acts of abuse with regard to (name omitted for privacy) and Gilman has not displayed any remorse and continues to misbehave in a secure facility in the jail,” Judge Wayman said as he delivered his sentence.

Oxendine stressed that this outcome could not have been possible without the courage and bravery of one little boy who came forward and the collaborative law enforcement efforts of the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

“Our office would like to extend our thanks to these agencies for working together quickly to gather the physical evidence, conduct extensive interviews, and prepare the case in a manner that resulted in a conviction and sentence that is protective of the public,” she said.

It is anticipated that Gilman will face charges in Spokane County as a result of his actions that occurred in that jurisdiction. The current status of those charges is unknown at the time.