Man pleads guilty to distributing child porn

By Amanda Stewart

Published: June 17, 2008

A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty in Prince William Circuit Court Tuesday to distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Gene Raymond Morrill, 57, of New Ipswich, N. H. pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of sexually explicit material Tuesday.

Morrill was charged after he sent images of child pornography and had sexually explicit Internet chats with a Dumfries police officer posing as a 13-year-old boy in early 2007.

In January 2007, Morrill started chatting with Dumfries police Officer John Chapman, who was posing as a 13-year-old boy.

Their Internet chats quickly became sexual in nature, Chapman said in court Tuesday.

In March 2007, Morrill sent Chapman several videos and still images of child pornography, Chapman said. Morill was arrested in N.H. and was extradited to Prince William County.

During the three-month period when Morrill was chatting with Chapman he also chatted with Det. Darryl Wells of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, who also posed as a 13-year-old boy.

As a result of those Internet chats, Morrill was charged and pleaded guilty in January 2008 to 20 felonies in Stafford County, including soliciting a minor for sex, reproducing child
pornography attempting to take indecent liberties with a minor. He was sentenced in Stafford County Circuit Court in March to 20 years in prison.

Morrill is scheduled to be sentenced in Prince William Circuit Court on Aug. 28.

At the time of his arrest Morrill was a registered sex offender in New Hampshire. He had previously served seven years in prison for raping a 13-year-old child in New Hampshire.