An Alabama man fatally shot the man who was convicted of molesting his daughter. He pleaded guilty and now facing 40 years imprisonment, PEOPLE confirms.
Jay Maynor, 43, on Monday pleaded guilty the first-degree murder of Raymond Earl Brooks who was convicted some two years ago. He did so his daughter will not have to go through the trauma of testifying about the abuse.
Julia was about four years old when she was first molested by Brooks, her grandfather through adoption. The molestation was repeated for several years and was revealed when Julia was 8 years old, as PEOPLE reported.
Brooks pleaded guilty to the molestation 14 years ago and was sentenced to five years in prison on top of 27months service of his sentence before being placed on probation, as court records show. He was also then placed on the Alabama sex offender registry.
Julia, 24, is now mother of three. She told PEOPLE that the abuse has had a lifelong effect on her.
"He took my innocence away, and now I suffer daily from what Raymond did to me," Julia quoted by Alabama News as saying.
Julia went through counseling. But she still find herself getting out of bed in the morning.
On June 8, 2014, Julia fired up with a discussion with her father, Jay. Her dad drove off on his motorcycle to confront Brooks. He stopped by a convenience store and shot at a man whom he believed was abusing his stepdaughter.
Jay continued to Brooks' home, where he shot the 59-year-old man twice in the front yard of the house. He was arrested later that day and charged with murder. Jay was also charged of attempted murder for shooting at the other man in the convenience store.
Jay decided not to ever face trial and he did so because he also wanted to protect Julia from having to recount her abuse in a courtroom. Julia find this heroic.
"My father was protecting me, like a father should do," Julia shared. She thought her father is an amazing dad and actually the best father she has ever known.
