photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

George Burgess moments after he was found guilty of raping a girl on June 11, 2024, in Douglas County District Court.

A Douglas County jury found a man guilty on Tuesday of rape and multiple other sex crimes against a young girl, and the man could now be sentenced to life in prison.

George Joseph Burgess Jr., 45, was found guilty of two counts of rape, as well as six of the 11 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child with which he was charged. The jury found him not guilty of the remaining five counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Jurors deliberated for nearly the whole day before returning their verdict.

Burgess was accused of repeatedly sexually abusing the girl at various locations in Douglas County — including in several budget hotels, a campsite and the Lawrence Community Shelter — between 2017 and 2019, when the girl was between 7 and 9 years old.

Members of the girl’s family were present when the verdict was read, and a couple of women softly cried. Burgess himself was silent.

During the trial, defense attorneys Dakota Loomis and Branden Smith had argued that the allegations against Burgess were fabricated by the girl’s grandparents and adoptive father, and that they then made the girl report it to police, as the Journal-World previously reported. The state, represented by District Attorney Suzanne Valdez and Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden, stressed that the girl had never claimed that anyone other than Burgess had abused her, and that Burgess had been alone with the girl many times in the years when the abuse was alleged to have taken place.

Burgess is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 1. Each of the charges he was convicted of could result in a life sentence, according to Kansas sentencing guidelines.

Burgess also has convictions from 2022 for felony identity theft and removing an electronic monitoring device in Douglas County. He will remain in custody at the Douglas County Jail while awaiting sentencing.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

George Burgess on June 11, 2024, in Douglas County District Court. Burgess was found guilty of two counts of rape of a young girl and multiple counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.