GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX/Gray News) - A 72-year-old man in Mississippi admitted to sexually abusing children for nearly a decade.

RJ Sanders was sentenced to four life sentences and will serve them concurrently in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, without the possibility of parole.

Pass Christian Police and Gulfport Police investigated the case and determined that Sanders sexually assaulted children in both cities between 2013 and 2021.

Officials said Sanders was “entrusted with the care and supervision of the victims when their parents were at work.”

Sanders would watch the children by taking them for ice cream, playing dress up, making music videos, but unbeknownst to others, he was secretly molesting the children behind closed doors.

Officials said the abuse went on for years until one victim told a family member, and then other victims came forward.

Sanders’ trial was set to begin on January 12, but he entered his plea this week. During the hearing, officials said Sanders admitted his guilt but offered little remorse.

Judge Lisa Dodson also described this as “one of the worst cases I’ve seen.”

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