Former reality television star Will Hayden will be spending the rest of his life in prison after he was found guilty of raping two young girls.
Hayden, 51, who appeared on the show, “Sons of Guns,” was handed two life sentences May 11, along with an additional 40 years to be served consecutively, the Daily Mail reported. He will not be eligible for parole, probation or suspension of sentence.
Hayden was found guilty in April on two counts of aggravated rape and one count of forcible rape on two young girls. One of the victims was present in court for his sentencing, The Advocate reported.
The victim, now 37, whose name was not disclosed, reportedly said, “Thank God,” as she left the courtroom. The younger victim, who is currently only 15, did not attend.
The older woman had testified at Hayden’s trial that he raped her twice in the early 1990s — once when she was 12 and again when she was 13. She told the court that Hayden made sexual advances on her the first time after they had smoked marijuana.
“The next thing I remember is him on top of me,” the woman said of Hayden, who was in his 20s at the time. “I was scared. I didn’t know what was happening. I wanted to leave and I couldn’t.
“It hurt. I couldn’t physically do anything. I just remember thinking I wanted this to end.”
The younger victim also testified that she was raped multiple times in 2013 and 2014 when she was just 11 and 12, respectively. She said her attacks took place in Hayden’s home and his truck.
The jury reached a guilty verdict in less than an hour, despite Hayden denying the allegations made in court. He is still facing another two charges — one related to the same younger victim and another related to his own daughter, Stephanie Hayden.
In 2014, Stephanie went on the “Dr. Phil” show and said her father once came into her room drunk in the mid 1990s, kissed her and tried undressing her. She said was able to escape her father’s grasp that night and that he never touched her inappropriately again.
Stephanie told Dr. Phil that a family member and a friend were also abused by her father, and that she believes there are other victims. “He spent his life manipulating people and hurting people.”
Hayden’s arrest also led to the cancelation of TV show “Sons of Guns.”
“Given the serious and horrific nature of the charges against Will Hayden, we have decided to halt further production of Sons of Guns and cancel the series,” Laurie Goldberg, a spokesperson for Discovery Channel, said in a statement, according to The Times-Picayune.