WMC-TV: News, Weather, Traffic, Radar, and Sports for Memphis, TN; WMCTV.com | Man pleads guilty to kidnapping, sexual assault of young boy

Man pleads guilty to kidnapping, sexual assault of young boy

Posted: Updated:

By Jamel Major - bio | email | Twitter | Facebook

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - Teresa Gifford says she still cries every day.

And the day 50-year-old Eugene Summers pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexually assaulting her son, Matthew, was no different.

"It was a huge relief that morning to get that news" Gifford said.

Summers, a close family friend, moved in with Gifford's parents in the late 1970's. He was then known as Eugene Barksdale.

"He helped my mother take care of my father when he was dying. I can't help but wonder if he did that just so he could have access to my son," Gifford said.

Matthew Gifford says that access led to years of abuse behind closed doors.

"I was told that it was a secret and it was to never be told," he said.

Summers later moved to Denver, Colorado, and began living with Theresa Gifford's sister. He worked as a counselor for Denver Public Schools.

Matthew Gifford, 11 years old at the time, says that when he went to visit his aunt that year, Summers locked him in a room and again molested him.

"Mentally, it confuses you because you're not sure why someone who is supposed to love you so much is hurting you," he said.

Theresa Gifford says she can rest her mind some knowing Summers can no longer hurt any other children.

"I want him to never be able to do this to anybody else. Whatever it takes, I don't care how long he stays in jail," she said.

 

Copyright 2009 WMC-TV. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Comments
Terms of Use: We welcome your participation in our community. Please keep your comments civil and on point. Notify us of any inappropriate comments by clicking the “Mark as Offensive” link. You must be at least 13 years of age to post comments. By submitting a comment, you agree to these Terms of Service
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login or register
See all comments
Close windowBranding

Man pleads guilty to kidnapping, sexual assault of you...

Close window

Special Reports

Special reports from Action News 5 and WMCTV.com

My Turn - Your Turn

Take turns weighing in on the issues of the day with WMC-TV General Manager Lee Meredith.

Taking Back Our Neighborhoods

Learn how you can get involved in the fight against crime.

Restaurant Scorecard

Find find out which restaurants scored low and which made the High 5 during recent inspections.

Cold Cash

Click here to search for unclaimed funds and property on WMCTV.com.

Ask Andy

Andy Wise answers your consumer questions!

A collection of some of the most jaw dropping police dashcam video you've ever seen.

Black History Month

February is Black History Month.

Action News 5's daily email alerts

Click here for daily emails from Action News 5.

Powered by WorldNow
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2010 WorldNow and WMCTV, a Raycom Media station. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.