N.H. man pleads guilty to child porn charges

By Amanda Stewart

Published: June 17, 2008

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

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.

Wells and Chapman travelled to New Hampshire in March 2007 to arrest Morrill. He was later extradited to Virginia.

As a result of his Internet chats with Wells, 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.

Morrill previously served seven years in prison for raping a 13-year-old child in New Hampshire and is already a registered sex offender.

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.