A slightly trembling defendant laid his forehead on a table in Bartholomew Superior Court after being sentenced to 20 years in prison on three felony child molesting counts involving children who were younger than 12 at the time.
Former youth volleyball coach Bruce Giggy, 62, was then handcuffed and led from the courtroom at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, concluding a sentencing hearing that lasted more than three hours.
“Justice has been served,” said Columbus resident Joyce Adams, who knows the victims, before she left the courtroom.
More than 50 people were in the Superior Court 1 courtroom when Judge James Worton read the sentence, which was met with silence. Worton had warned the gallery twice that any outburst would result in a contempt-of-court citation and time in the Bartholomew County Jail.
Defense attorney Mark Dove asked people who attended the hearing and provided character references for the defendant to meet with him in a conference room after the hearing concluded.
On the other side of the courtroom gallery, victims and their families shook hands and thanked deputy prosecutor Mary Wertz. A few hugged Wertz before they left the courtroom.
Giggy, who gave a Columbus post office box as his address, pleaded guilty to three Class C felony child molesting counts in April as part of a plea bargain agreement. He was accused of molesting four children younger than age 14 between 1999 and 2008 at his home, according to a probable-cause affidavit in the case.
Worton sentenced Giggy to six years and eight months on each of the three child molesting counts, ordering them to be served consecutively in the Indiana Department of Correction.
With good-time credit, with one day trimmed from a sentence for every day served without any issues, Giggy will serve 10 years in prison.
A Class C felony conviction is punishable by two to eight years in prison, with a presumptive term of four years and a fine of up to $10,000 on each conviction. Giggy was ordered to pay court costs of $185.
Dove said he would consult with his client about whether he will appeal the sentence.
Giggy also was ordered to register as a sex offender and no-contact orders were issued for all the victims in the original five counts of felony child molesting that were filed in 2017. As part of a plea bargain agreement, two child molesting counts involving two individuals were dismissed, court records state.
Giggy did not testify during the hearing although several character witnesses did testify on his behalf, including two daughters and a son. Giggy’s estranged wife was in the courtroom but did not testify.
Three of the victims in the case read victim-impact statements documenting ongoing trauma from being victimized by Giggy. The prosecution also played portions of Giggy’s interview with Columbus Police Lt. Jason Christophel, during which Giggy admitted to some of the allegations the victims reported to police.
During police questioning, Giggy said he was attracted to the look of young girls and how they were developing, but did not want to have sex with them. However, Giggy did admit to becoming aroused after he touched the girls while they were asleep, according to evidence presented in the case.
During the hearing, Dove called several friends and relatives of Giggy to the stand, who described him as a man devoted to his religious faith and work to help young people.
Giggy was a volleyball coach for Columbus North High School’s freshman team from 2005 to 2009 before being named varsity volleyball coach at Columbus Christian School. The Christian school cut ties with Giggy in 2016 when Columbus police informed school officials about the investigation.
Two of Giggy’s daughters and his son testified that hundreds of young people had been mentored and coached by their father, and that none of their friends had ever reported that anything had happened to them while they were at Giggy’s home for visits or sleepovers.
In the victim impact statements, the young women said they were molested at different ages, starting at around age 8 or 9. Each said they were innocent children who believed they were safe and secure in the Giggy home. In the charges, he was accused of fondling the victims and attempting to have the victims fondle him, court documents state.
All three victims who read statements asked that Worton give Giggy the maximum sentence.
One said Giggy took advantage of a trusting relationship to molest her.
Dove argued for a reduced sentence of home detention and probation, saying Giggy had no criminal record and that although Giggy has had contact with hundreds of girls over the years, only the three came forward alleging they had been molested.
Christophel said during testimony that police had tried to determine and identify other potential victims, but no others came forward.
At one point, Dove brought up the national Larry Nassar case involving female U.S. Olympic gymnasts, saying after one gymnast made allegations dozens of others also did, which had not occurred in the Giggy case.
Dove also argued that Giggy had spared the victims from a jury trial by pleading guilty and asked that his guilty plea be considered as a mitigating factor.
The defense attorney also argued that none of the victims had mentioned restitution in the case from Giggy.
Dove argued the molestation had not affected the long-term well-being of the girls. He suggested that it was “in vogue” to want punishment for sex offenders, referring to the “Me Too” movement and backlash against people making unwanted sexual advances.
Saying she was horrified by what Dove was implying, Wertz said, “Being a victim is not in vogue,” and “being a victim isn’t something someone would want.”
She said Dove was attempting to diminish the impact of the molestation on the victims.
“They told about the horrible impact these crimes had on their lives,” said Wertz, who described Giggy as a person who for years went roaming around his house in the dark molesting young girls in his care.
During the victims’ testimony, Giggy looked at each victim, and at times covered his mouth with his hand as he watched.
“He deliberately chose to satisfy his own sick sexual desires,” Wertz said. “He’s a predator.”
Before sentencing Giggy, Worton said he found the the case disturbing.
“This is a horrible scenario and there is no good solution,” Worton said.
“All this trouble, all this hurt … you caused it,” the judge said to Giggy.
He cited aggravating factors that the victims were younger than age 12 at the time of the molestations and said it was significant that the victims were in the care, custody and control of Giggy.
“The harm to the victims is significant. The emotional scars are significant,” Worton said.
Before pronouncing the sentence, Worton said it was the court’s hope that the sentences would in some way help the victims each find peace in their lives.
