Man found guilty of sexually assaulting woman on Southwest flight to Dallas

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DALLAS - A Tulsa, Oklahoma, man has been convicted of sexual assault for inappropriately touching a woman on a Southwest Airlines flight to Dallas in 2023.

Before being found guilty, the man claimed he was unable to remember his actions on the flight due to consuming alcohol and THC edibles, according to the U.S. District Attorney's office.

 Southwest Airline Assault Conviction

The Latest:

William McKelvy, 65, has been convicted of abusive sexual contact on Wednesday after a jury trial in the Northern District of Texas' federal court.

According to the Friday release from the acting U.S. Attorney's office, McKelvy testified on his own behalf, saying he could not remember his actions due to his self-imposed impairment. 

After less than 30 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict.

Assault on Southwest Flight

The backstory:

Evidence in the trial showed that on the April 25, 2023, Southwest Airlines flight from Tulsa to Dallas, McKelvy inappropriately touched a woman sitting next to him four separate times. 

After the woman, who testified during the trial that she had felt "trapped" in her seat next to McKelvy, verbally confronted him, other passengers intervened and stopped the man.

A flight attendant arranged for officers to receive McKelvy at their arrival gate, where he reportedly downplayed his actions, admitting to vaping on the plane and merely having "flirted" with the victim.

What they're saying:

"No person should have to endure egregious attacks such as this aboard an aircraft, where appropriate behavior is crucial for the well-being of all passengers," said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. "We applaud the swift response of fellow passengers, crew members, and our law enforcement partners in this case to come to the victim’s defense.  For her sake and the community’s, we will continue to bring predators like this to justice and deter others from doing so."

"Sexual assault aboard an aircraft is a federal crime investigated by the FBI.  It is because of fellow passengers and the flight crew that the defendant was detained and charged for assaulting the victim multiple times," said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. "The public can rest assured that the FBI will thoroughly investigate any federal crime committed aboard an aircraft. We encourage everyone to be air aware and ask that victims or witnesses report an incident to the flight crew immediately."

What's next:

McKelvy is set for sentencing on Sept. 8 before United States Chief District Judge David C. Godbey, who presided over the trial. McKelvy faces a maximum of three years in federal prison.