An American has been sentenced to 85 years in prison after his suicide was staged while trying to escape justice.
Jacob Blair Scott was sentenced to 85 years in prison. This 44-year-old American was sentenced in Mississippi this week for child exploitation and child molestation. To escape justice, the man had staged his suicide, hoping to then pretend to be dead. The New York Post reports that police discovered his small boat in July 2018 in Orange Beach, Alabama. A weapon and a note were inside, suggesting a suicide.
But quickly, the investigators indicated that they were skeptical of this potential suicide. Especially since after a week of searching, the body had not been found. By the time he appeared to be dead, the man was out on bail and awaiting his next court hearing, which he had failed to show up for. During their investigation, officers further learned that the suspect had withdrawn $45,000 from his bank account, suggesting he had deliberately chosen to disappear. His name was added to America’s 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list in January 2020, weeks before his arrest in Oklahoma. He then lived there under a false name, in a caravan.
The victim was 14 years old
His victim testified at trial, saying he was sexually assaulted at least 30 times between 2016 and 2017. He reportedly stopped after she became pregnant and gave birth to the child. “The evidence is overwhelming,” Judge Jackson said. “That’s more evidence than I’ve probably ever seen.” “This is the first time in 18 years that I’ve seen something so brazen and so vile,” prosecutor McIlrath said. “There was talk of blaming a 14-year-old girl. This whole trial was aimed at humiliating a 14-year-old girl who never had a choice. To defend himself, Jacob Blair Scott claimed to suffer from mental problems related to post-traumatic stress that occurred after his return from Iraq, where he served as a soldier. He also said he was suffering from depression and was on medication at the time.