Man who sexually abused a Platte County girl gets longer sentence than Larry Nassar

A man found guilty of sexually abusing a Platte County girl beginning when she was 5 years old was sentenced Thursday to 260 years in prison, according to Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd.

Robert E. McDonald of Coushatta, La., was convicted in May of 10 felonies and also found to be a predatory sex offender following a four-day jury trial.

McDonald’s prison sentence is longer than the one for Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor who was accused of sexually abusing as many as 265 girls. In January, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

On Dec. 26, 2012, the Platte County victim said McDonald repeatedly sexually abused and raped her over two years, until she was 7, according to Zahnd.

A medical examination supported the victim’s claims and revealed evidence consistent with being sexually abused. The victim’s sister testified that the defendant had also inappropriately touched her.

McDonald was convicted of three counts of first-degree statutory rape, two counts of statutory sodomy and five additional sex crimes. McDonald was sentenced to four life sentences and will not be eligible for parole until he serves 50 years in prison.

Circuit Judge Thomas Fincham ordered the life sentences to run consecutively, resulting in a total prison sentence of 260 years.

“Many child sex offenses are so abhorrent that they should result in the predator never walking out of prison,” Zahnd said in a statement. “Judge Fincham’s sentence sends the clear message that, in Platte County, we will not tolerate these hideous crimes.”