Man convicted of sodomy with child commits suicide

BENTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston, Missouri, man convicted of statutory sodomy Thursday later took his own life.

A jury deliberated over three hours Thursday before finding Shannon Mouser, 40, guilty of one count of first degree statutory sodomy for having deviate sexual intercourse with a child less than 12 years of age at a residence in Scott County between March 16, 2003, to Dec. 1, 2004.

Witnesses for the prosecution included the victim, her mother, her sister, a former girlfriend, Sikeston Department of Public Safety officers Anthony Odum and Detective John Blakely and Kathy Blevins, an expert in forensic interviews and forensic medical examinations. Testifying for the defense were Mouser's mother and Kendra Eades, who had conducted the forensic interview of the victim in July 2012.

According to Scott County Prosecutor Paul R. Boyd, who presented the case along with Assistant Prosecutor Tabatha Blakely, Mouser's attorney attempted to discredit the victim's testimony because of her eight-year delay in reporting the abuse in 2012.

"Mrs. Blevins explained to the jury the process of disclosure that child victims of sexual assault go through if they disclose abuse at all. Mrs. Blevin's testified to the jury that over 66 percent of adults who were child victims never disclose their abuse out of fear, confusion, embarrassment and/or constraints placed on them by others. She indicated it was 'more of the norm' not to report being a victim of sexual assault as a child," Boyd said in a news release.

With the conviction, Mouser faced from 10 to 30 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. A sentencing hearing was set for Aug. 19.

"The victim in this case should be given praise for coming forward, going through the pressures of a trial and sharing her story so that others might be safe in the community," Boyd said. "As to Mr. Mouser's decision to end his life, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Mouser family and his three children he left behind."