A jury has found former Aberdeen City Councilor Riley T. Carter guilty of all charges, three counts of rape of a child in the first degree, three counts of incest in the first degree, one count of child molestation in the first degree, and one count of incest in the second degree, in a Grays Harbor County Superior Court trial that lasted just four days.

The jury also found that each count included aggravating circumstances of ongoing abuse and abuse of trust.

The victim’s mother Mya said, “It’s about (expletive deleted) time. I’m glad they did their job, my daughter deserves that.”

Attorneys made their closing arguments Thursday afternoon and the jury got the case and retired to the jury room to deliberate shortly before 4 p.m. The jury of nine women and three men delivered their verdict shortly before 2:30 p.m. today. Judge Katherine L. Svoboda presided over the case. She offered “great thanks” to the jury for their service.

Grays Harbor County Criminal Chief Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Crawford credited the victim’s fortitude and the jury and the community for rallying for them.

“Justice was served today, for sure, the jury deliberated, they were very careful, they went step by step through the whole process and they made the right decision,” Crawford said. “So, a little girl’s voice was heard today, she stood up, she was strong, and the community and the jury backed her. It is the most fulfilling type of case that we do. They’re difficult, and with this little girl and the backing of her mother, they trusted us, and the community came through for them. There’s nothing more satisfying than these types of cases when everybody comes together with their hard work and law enforcement.”

Although the case took 11 months to come to trial, Crawford added that the trial was a quick one because of the efficiency of the process and the quality of witness testimony.

“For the most part, the courts, and the prosecutor’s office, want to be as careful as possible. First, we have to get all the evidence, make sure we collect it all. We want to give the defense every opportunity, everybody wants to make sure the defendant’s rights are preserved and give them as much time as they need for the defense, so that at the end of the day the right result happens.

“As the evidence was coming in, it was coming in fairly smoothly, we don’t try to just keep presenting witness after witness if we feel like we got to a certain point, we don’t want to waste the jury’s time or members of the community’s time.”

Carter’s defense team, led by Karrie Young, declined to comment.

Carter was arrested by the Aberdeen Police Department in late July 2024 and subsequently forced to resign his post as an Aberdeen City Councilor for Ward 5 a few days after his arrest.

The Aberdeen Police Department released the following statement:

“This case is deeply disturbing. Incidents involving children are especially difficult and induce deep concern and sorrow. Our thoughts remain with the victims and we hope they are receiving the necessary support and care as they heal from this. Considering the potential for a conflict of interest or the perception thereof, we extend our appreciation to the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office for assuming responsibility for the investigation and for conducting it with diligence and professionalism. We also wanted to acknowledge and commend the prosecutors office for its commitment to pursuing justice.”

According to court documents, the victim was interviewed in the presence of their parent and stated that Carter had touched them sexually “a lot of times,” with incidents occurring as often as several times per week over the course of two years.

Carter is scheduled to be sentenced in Grays Harbor County Superior Court on July 11 and could serve 25 years to life in prison.