By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A Buchanan County jury has found a 53-year-old homeless St. Joseph man guilty of sexually assaulting a child.
The Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reports a jury in St. Joseph deliberated for less than an hour before finding Jeffrey Gray guilty of two counts of first-degree sodomy and for sexual abuse of a child younger than twelve. The abuse occurred between December 1st of 2022 and March 21st of 2023, according to prosecutors. Gray was charged in March of last year.
Jurors reached their verdict after hearing testimony from fourteen different witnesses, including the victim and members of her family. Also testifying during the trial were employees of the St. Joseph School District, St. Joseph Police Department, Missouri Children’s Division, Voices of Courage Children’s Advocacy Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital, the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab, and the Samaritan Center.
Gray is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4th. He faces mandatory life sentences on each count.