Civil Rights Leader Convicted of Incest

Hoffman sought to poke holes in Machado's testimony, asserting, for example, that while she testified to many specific details about her life she could not pinpoint the year her father allegedly had sex with her.

Hoffman also reminded the jury of testimony by Bevel's eldest daughter that Machado planned to write a book, presumably about the allegations.

The public defender told the jury to focus on the charge and not on other interactions Bevel had with Machado. Hoffman asked Bevel whether he had ever rubbed Machado's chest -- another allegation she has made but one that is not part of this criminal case.

"Yes, I have engaged in rubbing [her] chest in an educational context," he said. Bevel testified that as a minister and a teacher, he has educated people, including his children, on the "science" of sex and marriage.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Gigi Lawless reminded jurors of testimony from several Bevel family members about two meetings in which they discussed the allegations. At a meeting outside Selma in 2004, they gave Bevel an affidavit that accused him of being a pedophile and having sex with Machado.

They said they prepared the document because they feared that Bevel would sexually abuse his youngest daughter.

Some family members testified that Bevel did not deny the allegations.

The jury reached its verdict after several hours of deliberation. During the sentencing phase, in which jurors considered a range of five to 20 years in prison, Wittmann called one witness: Machado. "The hardest part is that I love my father and I wish he loved me as much," she said tearfully.

Hoffman played a 40-minute documentary for the jury about the role King, Bevel and others played in the civil rights movement.

Then Wittmann told the jury, "There are two Reverend Bevels. . . . While he did a lot of wonderful things, he also did some horrific things."