Mother of victim testifies in trial of man accused of sex crimes

IDAHO FALLS — The trial of a man accused of molesting a girl for years continued Wednesday with the mother of the victim addressing the jury.

William Ellwood was charged with ten felony counts of lewd conduct with a minor and one felony count of sexual abuse of a minor in Aug. 2016. He was also charged with one felony count of sexual abuse of a minor in the form of photos taken of the victim.

The alleged sexual abuse took place over five years from the time the victim was nine-years-old to when she turned 14 in 2016.

The victim’s mother gave emotional testimony about how her daughter changed during the time she was allegedly sexually abused by Ellwood and how she transformed after reporting what happened.

The mother, whom EastIdahoNews.com is not identifying, said her daughter became more withdrawn when she was nine-years-old.

“She started wearing a coat. It was from her knees to her chin. She would zip it up (and) wouldn’t take it off at school. She’d wear it at home half the time,” the mother said. “She began writing a lot and drawing and hanging out in her room all the time. She became more withdrawn from the rest of the family and less affectionate towards me.”

The mother recently took a job in Colorado and that’s when the victim told her about the alleged abuse. Since moving, the mother said her daughter has changed drastically.

“I feel like I got my daughter back,” she said. “She cooks with us now. She makes cookies, she watches movies with me. She comes and gives me hugs all the time. She comforts me when she thinks I’m having a bad day. She’s like a whole different person.”

The mother said her daughter only spends time her room when she sleeps and sometimes to do homework.

“She’d rather be upstairs at the kitchen table hanging out with us,” she said. “She didn’t have friends (but now) she has a whole group of friends. She’s in a game club. She’s a whole different person now.”

The trial continues Thursday.