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Stoddard County jury finds Stitz guilty, faces four life sentences
A Stoddard County jury on Tuesday returned a guilty verdict for a man on trial for statutory sodomy and rape charges.
Following the two-day trial, Billy Stitz was found guilty of three counts of statutory sodomy in the first degree and one count of statutory rape in the first degree perpetrated against two children under the age of 5 years old, according to Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver. Stitz now faces four life sentences.
“I am so proud of the brave victims in this case standing up to this predator,” Oliver said. “There are no winners in cases like this. Multiple children have suffered greatly at the hands of the defendant.
He continued: “These cases are excruciatingly difficult to try, emotionally taxing on everyone involved and painful for victims to relive as they tell of the abuse they have suffered. But we do those difficult things to bring justice and closure to the victims, to ensure that no other children suffer at the hands of the defendant and to protect the families of our community.”
Oliver said the jury’s verdict ensures the defendant will “never take another step as a free man for the remainder of his life and will die in prison.”
“We would like to express our gratitude to the jurors who listened to this horrific evidence over the course of two days, staying until 9 p.m. the second day when they reached their verdict,” Oliver said. “Our community owes them a debt of gratitude.”
Oliver also commended the local Child Advocacy Centers who provided support and counseling for the children as well as the families of the victims who stood by them in this journey; Tim McCoy, investigator for the Stoddard County Prosecutor’s Office; Detective Eddie Holloway’ and the entire Dexter Police Department for their investigation in this case.
Due to the sensitive nature of the crime and to protect the identity of the victims, no further details will be released by the Office of the Prosecutor, Oliver said.