According to a report on KTLA a US teenager faces a
possible life in prison sentence after authorities say
they learned about shocking crimes he allegedly
committed on an African mission trip.
The suspect was volunteering at a Kenyan
children’s home when he allegedly raped and
molested a number of young children between
the ages of four and nine.
According to court records, 19-year-old Matthew
Durham (pictured above) confessed to raping
several young girls, forcing some boys to perform
MouthAction on him and even making other kids
watch. Continue...
"This is a young man in our community that made
choices to exploit children in an orphanage,” said
United States Attorney Sanford Coats. “It’s a true
tragedy all the way around.”
The 19-year-old suspect traveled overseas with a
group called Upendo. Upendo is an organization
that assists neglected Kenyan kids by providing
food, housing, clothes and religion.
While Durham volunteered to travel overseas
several times over the last two years, on his last
visit, the criminal complaint alleges, “Durham
requested to stay at the children’s home in an
‘overflow bunk’ rather than at an offsite facility.”
During that visit, several alleged victims claimed
Durham “often touched them in a sexual manner
or told them to touch themselves while he
watched.”
Once confronted, Durham allegedly came clean.
“A caretaker at the orphanage noticed something
wasn’t right and confronted Mr. Durham. He
admitted to some of the acts,” said Coats.
The affidavit continues, “The victims are believed
to be both boys and girls between the ages of four
and nine, at least one of whom is HIV positive.”
Prosecutors say while the alleged sex crimes were
committed overseas, Durham can be held
accountable for the crimes in Oklahoma.
Durham is being held without bond.