Five people were indicted Tuesday in Logan County for crimes against Megan Williams, the young black woman whose alleged rape and torture last fall has drawn national attention. One of those people was indicted for a hate crime against Williams.

Two other people pleaded guilty to charges last week that will send them to jail for up to 10 years, according to Logan County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Abraham.

Williams was discovered by police at a trailer near Big Creek on Sept. 8, 2007. She was allegedly raped, tortured, beaten and forced to eat animal feces, among other acts.

The indictments and plea deals paint a clearer picture how the seven people were allegedly involved with Williams, and what they allegedly did to her.

"That is an expression of her motivation," Abraham said.

There were other instances where the racial epithet was used, but in all of those cases, the people had other reasons to commit the crimes against Williams, Abraham said.

National black leaders have rallied in Charleston to ask prosecutors to bring hate crimes against the defendants in the Williams case. Abraham had said such charges could take away from other charges with stiffer penalties that could be easier to prove.

During the course of the investigation, it became clear that Messer and Alisha Burton were not involved in any of the alleged sex acts against Williams, Abraham said.

Their plea deals were made after consulting with Megan Williams and her family, the prosecutor said. Both Messer and Alisha Burton, Karen Burton's daughter, have agreed to testify against the remaining five defendants.

Messer admitted to slapping and punching Williams during the time she was confined to certain areas of the Brewster mobile home and in an effort to intimidate her, Abraham said. He said he slapped her five times, punched her once with a closed fist and poured hot wax on her, the prosecutor said.

Alisha Burton admitted to slapping Williams on several occasions, punching her once, striking her with a sandal so hard that it broke and hitting her across the buttocks with a stick, Abraham said.

"If the events regarding George Messer and Alisha Burton had occurred outside the context of the overall hostage taking and other events, they could have been misdemeanor offenses," he said. "When they did these events with an effort to conceal her, it elevated that to a felony offense."

Among the other defendants, Bobby Brewster stabbed Williams in the leg two or three times, Abraham said.

Five people were indicted Tuesday in Logan County for crimes against Megan Williams, the young black woman whose alleged rape and torture last fall has drawn national attention. One of those people was indicted for a hate crime against Williams.

Two other people pleaded guilty to charges last week that will send them to jail for up to 10 years, according to Logan County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Abraham.

Williams was discovered by police at a trailer near Big Creek on Sept. 8, 2007. She was allegedly raped, tortured, beaten and forced to eat animal feces, among other acts.

The indictments and plea deals paint a clearer picture how the seven people were allegedly involved with Williams, and what they allegedly did to her.

"That is an expression of her motivation," Abraham said.

There were other instances where the racial epithet was used, but in all of those cases, the people had other reasons to commit the crimes against Williams, Abraham said.

National black leaders have rallied in Charleston to ask prosecutors to bring hate crimes against the defendants in the Williams case. Abraham had said such charges could take away from other charges with stiffer penalties that could be easier to prove.

During the course of the investigation, it became clear that Messer and Alisha Burton were not involved in any of the alleged sex acts against Williams, Abraham said.

Their plea deals were made after consulting with Megan Williams and her family, the prosecutor said. Both Messer and Alisha Burton, Karen Burton's daughter, have agreed to testify against the remaining five defendants.

Messer admitted to slapping and punching Williams during the time she was confined to certain areas of the Brewster mobile home and in an effort to intimidate her, Abraham said. He said he slapped her five times, punched her once with a closed fist and poured hot wax on her, the prosecutor said.

Alisha Burton admitted to slapping Williams on several occasions, punching her once, striking her with a sandal so hard that it broke and hitting her across the buttocks with a stick, Abraham said.

"If the events regarding George Messer and Alisha Burton had occurred outside the context of the overall hostage taking and other events, they could have been misdemeanor offenses," he said. "When they did these events with an effort to conceal her, it elevated that to a felony offense."

Among the other defendants, Bobby Brewster stabbed Williams in the leg two or three times, Abraham said.

Also, "by threat of force, coercion or compulsion he required her to perform oral sex [on] his mother, Frankie Brewster," Abraham said. "[Frankie Brewster] acted in concert with Bobby. She was a willing participant."

Danny Combs allegedly held a knife at Williams' throat and demanded she perform oral sex on him.

Megan Williams originally moved to the trailer with Bobby Brewster of her own volition, Abraham said.

"The investigation reached the conclusion that the people residing in the trailer and visiting the trailer were engaged in a lifestyle where they would consume alcohol or other substances and as a result become very violent with one another," he said. "Megan Williams moved into this environment and stayed with Bobby."

All of the defendants except Linnie Burton Jr. were charged with kidnapping because each was involved in detaining Williams at different times at the trailer from about Aug. 1 to Sept. 8, Abraham said. Kidnapping carries a potential sentence of life in prison.

It was after Bobby Brewster and Karen Burton allegedly stabbed and cut Williams that those involved became concerned that she would tell police and would not allow her to leave, Abraham said.

She was held either in a bedroom or under the kitchen sink, Abraham said. Doors would be blocked and different people would take turns guarding her.

"There would be times when she would be released from the room," the prosecutor said. "At other times she had the freedom to move about the house and the property."

Each of those involved with abusing Williams had their own motives, Abraham said.

Bobby and Frankie Brewster and Danny Combs sexually assaulted Williams for their own pleasure, he said.

Karen Burton sometimes assaulted Williams because she believed she stole her food stamp card, Abraham said. Her motive for the stabbing, he said, was allegedly Williams' race.

"Not all of them committed all the acts," he said. "Various people did various things. ... Now we see what each of the individuals did and what acts they committed."

To contact staff writer Gary A. Harki, use e-mail or call 348-5163.