Hubbard Given Life Sentence in Prison

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Published on September 20 2022 2:52 pm
Last Updated on September 20 2022 2:56 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

Effingham resident Martin Hubbard Tuesday was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

An Effingham County jury in July found the 67-year-old Hubbard guilty of eight counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child. The charges alleged that Hubbard improperly touched children staying at Mother Hubbard's Daycare and had those children touch him for his sexual gratification.

Hubbard declined to make a statement in his defense, nor did his defense counsel offer any information on his behalf. Hubbard's attorney did announce plans to appeal the jury's verdict.

The life sentence without parole is required by statute, and Judge Allan Lolie had no discretion in the sentence he imposed.

Four parents of the children gave Victim Impact Statements. We are choosing not to make their names public at this time. 

All four of the parents shared how they had so much trust, even love in some cases, for Martin Hubbard, and that has been shattered. They also shared grief over having trusted Hubbard with their most precious possessions, and having that trust betrayed. One mother told Hubbard that her son can't have play dates with other children from the daycare "because being with them reminds him of you." Another mother discussed the therapy that most of their family is undergoing because of this. Still another told Hubbard, "You fooled so many people for so many years."

A father of one of the children stated, "This makes it hard for me to trust anyone." He also shared a Scripture verse, Matthew 18:6, which reads, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." The father, though, and the other three who spoke all shared that they didn't sin, and their children didn't sin in this, but Hubbard did.

Assistant State's Attorney Rob Scales handled the case for the State, in that new State's Attorney Aaron Jones has only been on the job for a matter of days. Scales assisted former State's Attorney Bryan Kibler in prosecuting the case.

Prior to the start of the sentencing hearing, Judge Lolie denied a defense motion to have the guilty verdicts set aside.