MOUNT VERNON, Mo. (AP) — A former southwest Missouri man who was once sentenced to seven life terms for child sexual abuse has been resentenced after pleading guilty to two charges.
Marcus Yoder was sentenced Wednesday to two concurrent 12-year sentences after pleading guilty to two counts of statutory rape with a person less than 14 years old.
Yoder, who formally lived in Webb City and Carthage, was sentenced in 2016 to seven concurrent life terms after he pleaded guilty to several counts of statutory rape and statutory sodomy.
At the time, prosecutors said the charges involved two girls and two boys but as many as 23 victims might have been involved.
Yoder’s guilty plea was set aside in 2020, when Circuit Judge Jack Goodman ruled that Yoder received ineffective counsel and did not fully understand the consequences of pleading guilty.
Daniel Dodson, one of Yoder’s current attorneys, said prosecutors now agree that far fewer victims were involved. He said Yoder was underage when the sexual acts started and did not understand at the time that his actions were wrong.
Yoder is currently incarcerated at a state prison in Licking. He will receive credit for time he has already served.
