Taunton Man Convicted of Molesting Preteen Step-Grandson

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — An elderly Taunton man was convicted last week of sexually molesting his preteen step-grandson.

According to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, Fred Walker, 73, was convicted by a jury of indecent assault and battery on a person under the age of 14. Walker was sentenced to serve five to eight years in state prison.

The D.A.’s Office said Walker sexually molested the boy on multiple occasions between July 2018 and May 2021, when the boy was spending time at his grandmother’s home in Taunton.

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The victim revealed the abuse to his older brother less than an hour after learning Walker was planning to move to Nevada.

The victim, the brother and the victim’s mother all testified at the trial, the D.A.’s Office said.

“The victim detailed the sexual abuse he suffered, the mother testified that she would leave her two sons at her mother’s house a few times per month when her work schedule required it, and the victim’s older brother told the jury about seeing the victim and the defendant alone in two separate rooms in the apartment with the door shut,” the D.A.’s Office said.

D.A. Quinn commended the victim for “his courage in persevering through this ordeal.”

“I am pleased the jury held the defendant accountable for molesting the victim,” D.A. Quinn said. “The defendant took advantage of his access to the victim when they were home alone and subjected him to very degrading and offensive touching."