Man kills himself following guilty verdict

BENTON -- A Sikeston 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.

For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, log on to the electronic edition.