Wright County Prosecutor John Tyrrell announces that Defendant Franklin Armstrong Jr., formerly of Mountain Grove, was convicted of Child Molestation First Degree, Statutory Sodomy and Rape First Degree and other sex crimes after a jury trial. The trial lasted three days from April 8th through the 10th. The Jurors were Wright County citizens.
The crimes were committed over a time frame of May 1, 2018, through March 31, 2019. The victim discussed the sexual abuse she suffered by the Defendant and what it was like to live in the home with Defendant. The jurors heard from her mother who also discussed her experiences with the Defendant. Testimony also came from members of the Child Advocacy Center that discussed the process disclosure of children of sexual abuse and the forensic examination. Mountain Grove Police Dept. Det. Scott Linton testified to the suicide note and subsequent interview of the Defendant.
“These cases are very hard. They are emotionally hard for the victims and factually can be very difficult to prove. I felt we had a good case that needed to proceed because we had independent corroborating evidence of the victim’s testimony. She did an excellent job of communicating her abuse to the jurors. Det. Linton’s investigation was instrumental as well. He interviewed the Defendant which was useful in my cross examination of the Defendant”, says Prosecutor Tyrrell.
Prosecutor Tyrrell also states, “I want to thank Ms. Kayla Womble of the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services. I had two cases set for trial the same week. She was able to assist in preparation of this case until the number one case was reset which freed me to work on this one. I also want to thank the Mountain Grove Police Dept., especially Det. Linton. He did an excellent job. His investigation discovered a suicide note that was admitted into evidence. This case took a turn when the Defendant testified, because I was able to confront him about his suicide note and his inconsistent statements to Det. Linton. Finally, I want to thank the jurors that were selected and the people who participated in jury selection. No one wants to listen to the difficult facts that came out in this trial. However, they served and did their duty of listening to the facts and following the instructions. Fortunately, it resulted in a conviction. Judge Carter will sentence the Defendant on June 18, 2024.”