On Thursday, August 11, 2011, in the Circuit Court of Taney County, Judge Mark Orr sentenced Ann Margaret Williams (d.o.b. 04/09/1966), of Protem, Missouri, to twelve (12) years in prison for the crime of promoting prostitution, and to seven (7) years for endangering the welfare of a child. Judge Orr ordered that the two sentences are to be concurrent with one another. Williams had been found guilty by a seven-man, five-woman jury of those two felonies in Taney County on June 7, 2011.

The evidence in the case presented by the Taney County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was that, in late-December 2006 through 2007, Williams forced her fifteen-year-old daughter to have sex with Billy Joe Hunter (d.o.b. 05/06/1947), of Protem, Missouri. The prosecution alleged that Williams did this in order to persuade Hunter to allow she and her children to reside with Hunter, as well as to persuade Hunter to have sex with the defendant following her daughter. In 2008, Williams’ daughter gave birth to a child, and DNA evidence proved the child was Hunter’s. Just before the baby was born, Williams’ daughter told investigators that Williams actually required her to have sex with Hunter, that the daughter received money from Hunter for sex, and that Williams was present during all but one of the numerous sexual encounters.