UPDATE: Jury finds Missoula man guilty in child sex abuse trial

A jury found a Missoula man guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old while she was under his care.

After less than two hours of deliberation, the Missoula County jurors convicted Wes Whitaker, 41, on three felony sexual assault charges.

The decision came after an emotional four days of testimony by several witnesses, including family members and friends of the victim and the victim’s mother.

Sentencing was set for Sept. 22. Whitaker faces up to 300 years in prison for all three charges. Each sentence would have to be served consecutively.

The state is satisfied with the verdict, Missoula County Senior Criminal Attorney Brian Lowney said. “It’s always good when justice is done.”

Lowney didn’t point to a key piece of evidence or testimony that he thinks aided in the jury’s decision, but said it’s always compelling when a child sits on the stand and shares their story.

In closing arguments on Thursday afternoon, Lowney told the jury the victim’s testimony alone was enough to convict Whitaker.

“There’s a little girl here who told you what happened, who doesn’t know anything about judges or witnesses, who appeared here on Monday even though it was terribly difficult,” Lowney said. “She’s the one who has to deal with what the defendant did to her. She’s the one who has to process the trauma.”

In Whitaker’s closing statement, he alleged there were failures by the agencies involved in the case that altered what the child told officials — most notably, that the forensic interview conducted by First Step forensic examiner Cat Otway was not properly done.

Whitaker was remanded to the custody of the Missoula County Sheriff.