JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI (December 26, 2017) – Judge Daniel Green sentenced Bobby Dean Bishop to two twenty-five year sentences on December 13, 2017. The sentence comes after a three-day jury trial held in October of 2017. In that trial, a Cole County jury found Bishop guilty on Count I of statutory rape in the first degree and guilty on Count II of statutory sodomy in the first degree. The sentences are to be served consecutively. Defendant will not be eligible for parole until eight-five percent of each sentence is served.
Bishop was charged in November 2016. The charges stem from the victim’s disclosure that Bishop put his penis in her vagina and bottom. A witness told law enforcement that Bishop had her examine the victim’s genital for signs of sexual assault. The defendant later admitted that it was “probable” that he had the witness examine the victim.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Meghan E. Woolery and Tristin M. Estep tried the case for the State. The attorneys point to the hard work of law enforcement, the dedication of the child advocacy professionals involved, and the strength of the victim as the reasons why the jury was able to reach a just verdict.
