Former Louisville teacher wants to withdraw guilty plea to 37 counts of child sexual abuse

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A former Jefferson County Public Schools teacher who pleaded guilty in October to dozens of counts of child sexual abuse is attempting to withdraw that plea, claiming he received ineffective assistance of counsel.

Christopher Morris, 52, was supposed to be sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison for 37 counts of child sex abuse under a plea agreement reached between both sides.

But Morris told Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Eric Haner that his attorney, Aubrey Williams, did not provide him with details about the agreement and yelled at him when he asked questions.

Williams vehemently disagreed, saying Morris had “defamed” him.

But under state law, Haner said the court must hold a hearing where Morris is appointed another attorney to go through the allegations before a decision is made.

Haner set the hearing for Dec. 20.

A family member of a victim spoke during the hearing, criticizing the amount of time it has taken to resolve the 2022 case and arguing that this is just another in a long line of delay tactics to keep Morris out of prison.

“Every time we have come to a court date, there has been a reason to delay it,” said the woman, who was not identified. “To me, this case has been a mockery before this court. This whole case is a stall tactic. The victims have rights too.”

The woman also asked that Morris be taken into custody until the hearing. He is currently out on home incarceration.

Haner told the woman he understood her frustration and he was also expecting “closure” on Wednesday “but I can’t control what other people do.”

He declined the request to take Morris into custody, ruling it would be a violation of his rights.

On October 8, Morris waived his right to trial by entering an Alford plea, which means he maintains his innocence but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a jury to convict him.

Morris was arrested in June 2022 after police say he sexually abused two teens. At the time, Morris was employed with JCPS and was a coach for a traveling Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team.

Morris was later indicted on 38 counts of criminal behavior, including sexual abuse of a minor and sodomy. Police said the crimes happened between Aug. 2012 and May 2022 with one victim who was under 16 years old, and another victim under 18 years old.

This story may be updated.

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