TAMPA, Fla. (Court TV) — When Kathy Hartman awoke in the early hours of September 11, 1998, her 7-year-old daughter, Amanda Brown, was gone — and so was her date from the night before. Willie Crain, Jr., a convicted child molester who spent that evening with Hartman in her trailer, was charged with first-degree felony murder and kidnapping in the disappearance and presumed death of Hartman's little girl.

Though Amanda's body has never been found, prosecutor Jay Pruner contends that the evidence, primarily obtained from Crain's mobile home, proves Crain is guilty of Amanda's abduction and death.

Authorities say that blood found on the outside of Crain's underwear, in two places on the toilet seat and on a tissue retrieved from the toilet is consistent with Amanda's. Except for the blood on Crain's underwear, which was a single type, the other samples were a mixture of two — consistent with both his and Amanda's DNA.

In addition, authorities say they were suspicious when they found Crain, a crabber, on his boat the day of the disappearance with several long, fresh scratches on his upper arms. Prosecutors also point out that traces of bleach were discovered on the floor of Crain's bedroom, suggesting that he tried to destroy blood evidence. Crain does not deny that he scrubbed his room, but says it had nothing to do with a crime.

Crain insists that he left Hartman's trailer alone at about 2:30 a.m. and that he has no idea what happened to Amanda "The last time I saw that girl," he told the St. Petersburg Times, "she was sleeping right next to her momma."

Hartman admits that she allowed Crain, whom she had just met the day before at a local honky-tonk, to sleep over at her trailer — in her bed with Amanda lying between them. She says that Crain purposely gave her several Valium tablets and when she woke up early the next morning, Amanda and Crain were gone. Hartman defends her actions by saying that Crain told her he was too drunk to drive home that night.

The defense's position is that Crain had no motive — and with a missing body, no proof exists that a murder occurred.

Despite the fact that Crain has a 30-year history involving the abuse and molestation of children, jurors will not hear about his prior acts unless he testifies in his defense or he is convicted. If jurors do find him guilty, his history could be admitted during the punishment phase of the trial. In Florida, a jury suggests a sentence, but the judge is not bound by their recommendation.

Records show that Crain pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual battery involving girls under the age of 11. A 1985 police report details the way that Crain befriended one woman just so that the could get close to, and eventually molest, her 7-year-old daughter. The girl, who endured years of abuse, said that one day Crain beat her legs with a gun, then raped and threatened to shoot her because he disapproved of her clothing.

Though Crain was sentenced to 20 years in prison, he served only six. Just one year later, a judge granted his defense attorney's request to convert Crain's strict community supervision to probation.

Sadly, Crain committed his crimes before new laws were adopted to prohibit early termination of probation for sex offenders — laws which would have made it impossible for him to serve less than 85 percent of his sentence.

Crain also failed to fall under Florida's Sexual Predator's Act — the state's version of Megan's Law — because his crime was committed before July 1996. If the statute were in effect at the time of Crain's conviction, his name and address would be on the Internet and area schools and day care centers would have been notified in writing.

In fact, Crain was arrested the week following Amanda's disappearance on charges that he raped two sisters almost 30 years ago. Crain was charged with Amanda's murder after he was jailed for the rape allegations.

Crain's defense team had requested a change of venue due to massive publicity about the case. Judge Barbara Fleischer denied the request, saying she would only reconsider if they had difficulty with jury selection.

If convicted of first degree murder, Crain could face the death penalty.

The Verdict

Florida jurors convicted Crain of first-degree murder and kidnapping in Amanda Brown's presumed death. The panel later recommended the death penalty, a sentence formally handed to Crain on November 19, 1999.