SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI: An army sergeant has been charged with the murder of a little girl while she was under his and his wife’s care. Kevin Long reportedly fatally beat the two-year-old child in November 2019 when she was at his unnamed wife’s illegal daycare center at Fort Leonard Wood.
The 40-year-old has now reportedly been indicted on one count of first-degree murder and one count of making a false statement. As per a statement by the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, Long killed the toddler, called Jane Doe for legal purposes, on November 6, 2019, after physically assaulting her.
The statement continued that the suspect “killed Jane Doe by blunt force injuries in the perpetration of child abuse.” It went on to note, “Under federal law, murder committed in the perpetration of child abuse is murder in the first degree. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ami Harshad Miller and Shannon T. Kempf.”
It added, “It was investigated by the United States Army – Criminal Investigation Division, St. Robert, Mo., Police Department, and the Missouri Department of Social Services.”
Who is Kevin Long?
There is not much information available about Long, except that he is accused of murdering a minor. According to the probable cause indictment, the accused killed Jane Doe “as part of a pattern and practice of assault against a child.”
The indictment went on to further state that the second charge against him was pressed because he “did willfully and knowingly make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation about a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States." Long had allegedly claimed that he did not have any idea of the United States Army regulations that prohibit the running of daycare centers at Fort Leonard Wood.
Long might get the death penalty
“The statement and representation were false because, as Kevin Long then and there knew, United States Army regulations restricted the operation of a daycare at Fort Leonard Wood,” the indictment added.
According to reports, Long is currently being held in state custody and will appear in court on July 6. Assistant Federal Public Defender Brian D Risley will be his representative during the trial. If convicted, he could be awarded a death sentence or life behind bars.
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