A Tulsa woman has been sentenced to five consecutive life terms after pleading no contest to sex crimes with a young male relative.
Melissa Kay Anderson, 35, was charged with five counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 in September after the boy told his father about the crimes, and he contacted authorities. She entered a plea of no contest in November.
Three of the counts pertain to sex acts that Anderson performed on the boy and made him perform on her. The other two counts accuse her of having sex with Michael Burris, her boyfriend and co-defendant, in front of the victim and showing the victim pornography.
As she sat in the courtroom’s jury box Thursday awaiting District Judge Caroline Wall’s arrival for her sentencing, a red-faced Anderson wiped her eyes with a tissue and appeared to stifle strong emotions.
Assistant District Attorney Kevin Gray argued for Anderson to be incarcerated for life, calling the case the worst of its type he’s seen.“I don’t believe Ms. Anderson should breathe fresh air again,” Gray said.
Public defender Chuck Sullivan countered that the system had failed Anderson from a young age by not properly addressing and treating abuse she suffered as a child that resulted in her being placed in foster care. He maintained that a life sentence would be “excessive” and akin to failing her a second time by not allowing her to seek rehabilitation.
When asked whether she’d like to make a statement, Anderson’s sobs became audible as Sullivan leaned close to decipher her words. He relayed to the court that Anderson said, “I’m sorry.”
Aside from finding her guilty and issuing a sentence, the judge had few words for Anderson. Wall imposed life terms on all counts and then stated that based on “the heinous nature” of the crimes, the sentences will run consecutively to each other.
The author of Anderson’s presentencing investigation report, which is issued by the Department of Corrections, noted that she said the crimes occurred while she was high on methamphetamine and that she did not recall most of the incidents. However, she did state that she knew the victim would not lie about what had happened.
Burris, who remains in the Tulsa Jail, is charged with one count of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 and one count of permitting child sexual abuse. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for a jury trial on May 11.
