According to the court documents, the 30-year-old defendant was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday. Prosecutors said the man pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son. The child was found with bruises, bite marks and signs of abuse in 2018. The victim’s brothers told authorities that the defendant punched the 2-year-old boy and swung him by his feet against the wall. The night he was killed, the brothers allegedly heard his screams.
The 30-year-old man from South Carolina, William Ryan Looper, pleaded guilty Thursday to murder, first-degree criminal $exual conduct with a minor, and two counts of unlawful neglect of a child, according to reports. Prosecutors say he was sentenced to 60 years in prison on the criminal $exual conduct charge. He was given 10 years on the unlawful neglect charges, to be served concurrently with no possibility for parole.
In June 2018, deputies responded to 176 Country Lane regarding an unresponsive child. The responding deputies found the 2-year-old boy Brantley Smith. Prosecutors said the boy had visible bruising across much of his body. The defendant’s then-girlfriend and the child’s mother, Jessica Smith, told investigators that Looper hit the child. Unfortunately, the child passed away before first responders arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the reports, the child was brutally beaten and showed signs of being brutally $exually molested prior to his death. The 30-year-old defendant admitted that he had been horrifically beating and abusing the child repeatedly for approximately two weeks. Looper told investigators that “he did not know why.” He also admitted he assaulted the child using a $ex toy with the intention of further hurting the victim.
Officials from the Department of Social Services took Brantley’s two brothers, 8-year-old Bobby and 6-year-old Brian, into custody. The two brothers told authorities that the defendant punched Brantley and that “he swung him by his feet against the wall.” The night he was killed, the brothers allegedly heard his screams.
According to reports, the child’s mother was at Walmart working a shift the night before her son was killed and had been gone for most of the abuse. The mother was charged with homicide by child abuse and two counts of unlawful neglect of a child.
During an investigation, the 30-year-old defendant told investigators that he and his two brothers were abused by their father, William Harold Looper. The 51-yer-old man was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree criminal $exual conduct with a minor, three counts of unlawful neglect of a child, a charge of committing or attempting a lewd act on a child, buggery, and three counts of disseminating harmful material to minors.