Judge decides whether man charged with raping and murdering niece will see criminal record at trial

jacksonville, florida – The judge said on Monday, Jonathan Quills The defendant, who is accused of raping and murdering 16-year-old Iyana Sawyer and her unborn baby, will be referred to his past charges and crimes at trial.

Courts usually don’t mention past crimes or convictions, but prosecutors hope the judge will waive that so that justice is served to Sawyer and his family.

According to a 2019 arrest report, Quills’ criminal record began in December 2017 when he was accused of sexually assaulting an unknown minor.

The girl, whose name is not listed in the report, spent the night at Quills’ home babysitting her 3-year-old daughter when she sexually assaulted her.

A year later, the strange girl reportedly told her mother what had happened.

Around the time the 2017 crime was reported, his niece Sawyer, who had been accused of murder, disappeared.

Sawyer was last seen on December 19, 2018. After school, Mr. Sawyer went to his uncle’s business in a junkyard on North Main Street, according to court records.

Police believe a 16-year-old boy was shot dead and placed in a dumpster taken to the Otis Road Landfill. Investigators searched 5,500 tons of trash but never found her body.

Quills has been in prison for the past four years.

Quills is scheduled to appear in court at 1 p.m. Monday.

News4JAX will provide updates to this article as information becomes available.