Charges dropped in jail torture case

J’Donta Britt
J’Donta Britt

FAYETTEVILLE -- Charges against a Springdale man accused with involvement in the jail rape and torture of a cellmate were dismissed Monday after the victim refused to testify at trial, Washington County prosecutors said.

J'Donta Britt, 20, was charged with two counts of accomplice to rape, accomplice to second-degree sexual assault, accomplice to battery and accomplice to terroristic threatening for the December 2013 incident. His trial was to have started today.

Britt pleaded guilty Monday to one, unrelated, count of commercial burglary for stealing computer equipment from a school. He was sentenced to six years at the Arkansas Department of Correction.

Britt is already serving a 30-year prison term after he was convicted last year for his role in a beating and robbery in Springdale that left the victim brain damaged and partially paralyzed.

Britt was in jail awaiting trial for that beating when the rape occurred.

Britt's co-defendant, Javaughntaiye Jamar Willis, 22, was convicted in November of two counts of accomplice to rape, accomplice to second-degree sexual assault, accomplice to battery and accomplice to terroristic threatening. Willis, who already had three violent felony convictions, was sentenced to two consecutive 60-year terms at the Arkansas Department of Correction.

The 19-year-old victim testified during Willis' trial Willis and Britt slapped, punched and kicked him and cut him with a razor blade. He said they threatened to cut off his pinkie finger if he didn't comply or if he reported the abuse to authorities.

Willis forced the victim to perform oral sex and a manual sex act, according to the victim's testimony.

The abuse ended when another inmate told guards.

Willis testified he beat and tortured the victim, but denied any sexual acts occurred.

NW News on 07/07/2015

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