After five postponements, Toby Willis‘s trial is finally happening.
The Tennessean reports that Toby, who starred on the TLC reality show The Willis Family, was arraigned on four counts of child rape on Monday. Toby pleaded not guilty to all charges. His official plea date will be July 11, with his trial set to begin on July 18.
It’s taken a lot to get Toby’s trial date set. Since he was arrested in September 2016, Toby’s trial has been frequently postponed. In December, Toby’s lawyer asked that the trial be postponed so that Toby could undergo a series of psychological tests to see if he was competent to stand trial. It’s not known if the psychological tests were completed by Toby in the time since then.
Until his trial begins, Toby will continue to be held in the Cheatham County jail without bond, as he has been since September, when he was arrested for one count of child rape. He is suspected of raping a 9- to 10-year-old girl approximately 12 years ago. The girl is believed to be related to Toby.
Meanwhile, Toby’s wife Brenda and 12 children, have stayed silent since Toby’s arrest, except to issue a statement in the days right after. In that statement, Brenda made it clear that she was siding with the District Attorney’s Office, rather than her own husband. The family’s band, The Willis Clan, has not performed since Toby’s arrest in September.
Still, some of the family members have been moving on with their lives. In December, Toby’s daughter, Jessica Willis, got engaged. She mysteriously left the family band months before Toby’s arrest. She has not given any interviews to the media since she left the band.
4 Responses
I honestly feel so sorry for this family. The father needs to be held accountable by no means. It is just a shame that their band was a promising career for many if not all of the children, either performing or producing. But, when their show stopped, their house had serious problems, they were deciding on more or less gigs. Without the father, this family loses their income, and therefore, the older children must go to work, along with the mom, and the younger children now will never grow up and have the same memories as the older. My heart and prayers go out to the family.
Freaking disgusting. I can’t even think of the right words to describe this guy.
The fact that his own wife and his family sides with the law is telling indeed. You need to very sure you are right when you feel you can not support your husband and father of your children.
I feel for his victims and his family.
Sadly very few people who are accused of these crimes plead guilty and they are all too blind, to fragile, to ill or too stressed out to stand trial all of a sudden, while they were doing fine the day before they got arrested.
What an ass. The least he could have done is plead guilty to spare the victim(s) the trauma of going through a trial. My bet is there’s some iron clad evidence against him, especially since none of his family is on his side. Plus there’s that pesky business of him fleeing the police after his warrant was put out. Not really something an innocent person does.