Utah man convicted of raping 13-year-old after being charged in 2016

Content warning: This article contains descriptions about child sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know needs help, call the Rape & Sexual Assault Crisis Line 1-888-421-1100.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Utah man has been convicted of first-degree felony child rape after raping a 13-year-old in 2015.

On September 3, 2025, a jury in the Third District Court found William Piol Makuei, 60, guilty of raping a thirteen-year-old in 2015. Makuei was initially arrested and charged in 2017.

According to court documents, in June of 2016, a then-14-year-old child went to the University of Utah hospital, where it was found that she was 29 weeks pregnant. Medical providers reported this to the Strategic Enforcement to Combat Unlawful Racketeering and Exploitation (SECURE) Task Force within the Office of the Utah Attorney General (OAG).

Special Agents with SECURE conducted a months-long investigation, in which the child said that she had sex with a man named William in 2015, at which point she was 13 years old.

The child reported that, on one occasion, William gave her something to drink when she was at his house. She then fell asleep and when she woke up, her clothes were off her body. She also reported experiencing genital bleeding.

On another occasion, the child said that William drove up beside her and offered her a ride home. At that time, William reportedly threatened the victim’s family and said “something bad would happen” to her if she didn’t get into his car. The child told law enforcement that William took her to a house and had sex with her.

The victim said that William was an “old man” from Sudan with a mark on his face. SECURE agents found that William Piol Makuei was the likely suspect, because he lived in the same refugee community as the victim, was an older Sudanese male, and had a scar on his forehead.

In August of 2016, the child victim gave birth. Investigators were able to collect a sample of the child’s DNA under a search warrant and collected a cigarette butt used by Makuei with his DNA. In 2017, they found that Makuei shared DNA with the victim’s kid and determined that Makuei was the one to impregnate the 13-year-old and was the father of her child.

OAG noted that, while Makuei was arrested in 2017, there were “lengthy legal proceedings and multiple attempts by Makuei to delay the trial.” They announced today that he was found guilty on September 3, 2025.

Makuei is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16, 2025 and it is expected that he will face the mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years. He also faces the possibility of life in prison.