Springfield Man Feigns Amnesia After Alleged Sexual Abuse Of Three Kids, Found Guilty

A Springfield man, who had earlier claimed to have amnesia upon police questioning, is facing multiple life sentences after being found guilty of abusing three underage children.

David M. King, 51, was found guilty of child molestation and multiple counts of statutory sodomy following a bench trial presided by Greene County Judge Calvin Holden in Missouri, the Springfield News-Leader reported. Holden is expected to sentence King at a hearing slated for July, with the suspect facing the possibility of multiple life sentences.

King has been convicted of two separate charges of rape, 20 years apart: The sexual assault of a teenaged girl in 2018 and the abuse of two minors, including a 3-year-old child, in 1998.

The Greene County Prosecutor's Office decided to formally file cases against King when the second victim came forward in 2018. The previous leadership did not pursue charges when the 1998 allegations emerged.

According to a probable cause statement used to charge King, a teenage girl approached law enforcement in February 2018 to report that the suspect had sexually assaulted her.

In her testimony, the victim said King brought groceries to her home and proceeded to force himself on her, noting she "froze" during the encounter because she did not know what to do. Aside from the victim testimonies, DNA evidence from a rape kit was also secured to prosecute the case against King.

Stuart Huffman, King's defense attorney, said his client continues to deny the allegations. He added that King intends to exercise his right to appeal the verdict.

Authorities have also reached out to one of the alleged victims in the 1998 case, who said she was sodomized by King when she was just 3 years old. The victim is now 23 years old.

According to her statement, King forced her to lick jelly off his crotch and then urinated in her mouth. When questioned by police, King allegedly claimed he could not recall the 1998 incident because he had amnesia.

Online court records reveal King was released from jail on a $50,000 bond in June 2018, a few days after the charges were filed.