Man found guilty, sentenced to 33 years in prison for statutory sodomy, enticement of a 4-year-old child

RIPLEY COUNTY, Mo. (KBSI) – A man was sentenced to 33 years in prison after he was found guilty of statutory sodomy in the first degree and enticement of a child in connection with the sexual abuse of a four-year-old girl in Ripley County.

Richard McCoy, 40, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for statutory sodomy in the first degree and 15 years for enticement of a child.

“As a father and as Attorney General, I want Missouri to be the safest state in the nation for children,” said Attorney General Andrew Bailey. “I’m proud of the work my team of prosecutors did on this case. We will never stop working to obtain justice for victims, especially our most vulnerable.”

Bailey says that between 2006 and 2007, McCoy took the four-year-old victim into a room alone, locked the door, and solicited her for sexual acts.

When the victim refused, Bailey says McCoy proceeded to sexually abuse her.

The victim came forward at the age of 13 and reported the abuse to the Doniphan Police Department.

She was subsequently interviewed by a forensic interviewer.

At trial, the jury heard testimony from the victim’s mother, the forensic interviewer and the victim.

The jury deliberated for a little more than an hour before finding McCoy guilty.

During the sentencing phase of the trial, the victim give an impact statement on how the abuse and the process of seeking justice has affected her. The state also introduced McCoy’s prior criminal convictions that included multiple convictions from Arkansas, including domestic battering and sexual assault as well as convictions from Missouri for domestic assault and aggravated stalking committed against the victim’s mother.

The case was tried by the Attorney General’s Public Protection Section.