Man sentenced to 50 years for Dexter rape, burglary

KENNETT, Mo. -- A former Dexter, Mo., man accused of raping a Dexter woman was sentenced to 50 years in prison Thursday.

Moses Grayson made his final appearance in a two-year long case Thursday afternoon in a Dunklin County Courtroom.

Cape Girardeau County Judge Benjamin F. Lewis presided over the trial and sentenced Grayson to 30 years on a rape charge and an additional 20 years on a burglary charge.

Lewis sentenced him to serve the prison terms consecutively.

"Until he's served his term for the forcible rape charge, he won't be eligible to begin serving the burglary sentence," said Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russell Oliver.

The rape charge will require Grayson to serve a minimum of 85 percent, or 25 years and six months. If at that point he is paroled on the first charge, he will begin his second sentence.

He will be required to serve a minimum of 50 percent, possibly as high as 80 percent, of the burglary sentence.

Now 36 years old, Grayson will not be eligible for release until he is at least 71 years old. If he serves the full sentence, he will be 86 at the time of his release.

"We're very pleased," Oliver said. "He had two prior victims from years ago whose lives were damaged, and we feel very pleased that the judge saw the damage that he had done and the danger that he posed to the community."

A jury trial was May 29 and 30.

It took an hour and 15 minutes for a Dunklin County jury to find Moses Grayson guilty on two counts. On the charge of felony armed criminal action, the jury found him not guilty.

He could have been sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.

Grayson is alleged to have climbed into a Dexter home through a window and raped the victim at knife point.

Grayson was picked up later in the day at his parents' home in rural Essex, Mo., for questioning. He has denied sexually assaulting the victim or ever entering her residence.

Pertinent address:

Dexter, Mo.

Kennett, Mo.

Essex, Mo.