A Canton man has been sentenced to serve life in prison for sexually assaulting a female minor
A Madison County jury found 46-year-old Keith Montrago Jackson of Canton to be guilty of Sexual Battery of a child last Monday. The victim was 12 years old at the time of the assault.
The victim testified that Jackson, her mother’s then-boyfriend, took her to get a snack at Love’s Truck Stop in Canton, then sexually assaulted her in the driveway of their shared home inside his Chevy Blazer.
After disclosing the assault to staff at her school the next day, she was taken to Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital where a sexual assault examination was performed. Evidence collected during the exam was analyzed by the Mississippi Forensics Lab. Analysts were able to match Jackson’s DNA to samples taken from the victim’s body during the exam.
Jurists deliberated for ten minutes before reaching a unanimous guilty verdict. Jackson is ordered to serve his life sentence day for day without the possibility of early release or parole.
“This case highlights the importance of talking to our children about what to do if someone assaults them. This child disclosed to a trusted adult the next day enabling officers to quickly get the child to the hospital for a sexual assault examination. The DNA evidence that was collected during that examination was a key factor in the successful prosecution of this man,” District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said. “I would like to thank the many people who made this guilty verdict possible: law enforcement with the Canton Police Department, the nurses and doctors at Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital emergency room, the analysts at the MS Forensics Laboratory, and the jurors who showed up to serve for jury duty and convicted Keith Jackson.”
