SPOKANE, Wash. —A woman spoke to her daughter’s rapist in a Spokane courtroom Monday morning.
Ronald Whitehall is a previously convicted child-rapist and was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday morning for raping and molesting another 14-year-old girl in 2024.
He pleaded guilty in December to third-degree child rape and two counts of third-degree child molestation, as well as communicating with a minor online.
The mother of the girl was in the courtroom during the sentencing and said her daughter used to go to Whitehall’s house to visit with her friend. She said she never would have let her go had she known Whitehall’s history.
Whitehall previously served time in prison for molesting and raping his teenage stepdaughter more than a decade ago.
His former stepdaughter was also in the courtroom on Monday.
His most recent victim’s mother stared at Whitehall as she addressed the court.
“You have hurt my daughter,” the mother said. “She has to take medication to sleep. She has nightmares and anxiety attacks. You did this to her, and I hope that this Court and the law protects children like her from you in the future.”
She asked the judge to give Whitehall the maximum sentence.
“He’s incapable of being a decent human being,” she said.
The prosecuting attorney asked for the 10-years in prison followed by six years of community custody.
“It triggered devastating emotions in the past, victims who never thought they would have to be sitting in this situation again, where the man who victimized them as children, has now revictimized another child. I think that is very concerning to the community. It’s very concerning to the state,” the attorney said.
The judge later asked Whitehall if he had anything to say.
“Just sorry for all the pain I caused,” he said.
Judge John Cooney delivered the sentence, saying, “Our justice system can punish people and provide some type of treatment, counseling, various things, but it can’t restore what’s been broken and hurting for at least one person today. The victims in here go a lot farther than the children that he’s hurt in the past,” he said.
Beyond his sentence, Whitehall will also have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
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