Stepfather receives maximum sentence for sexual abuse of stepdaughter
April 28, 2025
On Friday, April 11, a Richland County jury found Edwin Carl Haney guilty of criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the second degree. The Honorable Heath P. Taylor sentenced Haney to the maximum penalty of 20 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. The law mandates that the defendant must register as a sex offender.
During the five-day trial, the jury heard testimony from the victim, who was thirteen at the time of the assault. She shared that Haney met and married her mother, and became a trusted family member before raping her one night in January 2020.
The victim’s mother testified about the changes she saw in her daughter’s behavior since that time, but attributed them to adolescence or the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes included isolation, weight gain, and neglect of personal hygiene. The victim confided in only one peer until 2022, when she finally told her mother. At that time, Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigated, leading to Haney’s arrest.
Law enforcement, medical, and mental health experts testified, explaining how victims of child sexual abuse are groomed and often delay disclosing their experiences to adults out of fear of the consequences for themselves and their loved ones.
The Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office, represented by Assistant Solicitors Theresa Johns and Allison Foster, prosecuted the case.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office is proud of its role in supporting victims on their journeys toward closure through the criminal justice system. To learn more about child abuse and prevention, visit National Children’s Alliance or Darkness to Light.