Police: Rape suspect unwittingly messaged 11-year-old victim's father

May 20—A Florida man charged with rape and electronic solicitation of an 11-year-old Decatur girl was identified after the girl's father, who controlled her Facebook account, posed as her when responding to a friend request received from the suspect.

Keith Norris Williams, 25, posted a $60,000 bond and was released from custody Sunday, the day of his arrest. He faces charges of first-degree rape, electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act.

The father of the girl had set up a combined Facebook account for his three children, including the 11-year-old, according to an affidavit filed in Morgan County District Court by Decatur police Detective Jodie Fuller. The profile picture included the girl's photo.

On Feb. 12, the father received a Facebook friend request on the account he had set up for his children.

"After Williams sent a friend request to the account, the father sent Williams a message asking, 'Do I know you?'"

Williams responded with his screen name from the dating app Badoo, according to the affidavit.

"The father continued to talk to Williams through messenger as if he were the child," Fuller wrote. "Williams sent a message stating, 'I remembered your name and face especially when we met for the first time so I found you on here.' Throughout the messages Williams described what the child was wearing the night they met and said he remembered the swings in the backyard," according to the affidavit.

Williams also referenced physical activity with the girl and messaged, "Ima definitely marry you in the future lol."

After the exchange of messages, according to Fuller, the girl's mother asked her about Williams.

"The juvenile disclosed that the male in the profile pic, 'Keith Williams,' came to her house and engaged in sexual intercourse with her in the backyard," according to the affidavit.

The parents reported the information to the police Feb. 12, the same day the father received the Facebook messages.

On March 1, during an interview at the Morgan County Children's Advocacy Center, "the juvenile disclosed that she began chatting with Williams after she met him online via a dating app called Badoo. The juvenile said Williams came to her house during the month of October 2020 and had sex with her in the backyard." She also identified Williams from his profile picture, Fuller wrote.

Fuller obtained a positive identification of Williams using search warrants for his Facebook profile and for his account on Badoo, according to the affidavit.

While listed as a resident of Hurlburt Field in Florida in court records, Williams gave his address on bond paperwork as an apartment on Michael Avenue in Madison.

Rape and traveling to meet a child for unlawful sex are both Class A felonies punishable by up to life in prison. Electronic solicitation of a child is a Class B felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

— eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435. Twitter @DD_Fleischauer.