Missouri – A jury in the City of St. Louis has ordered the civil commitment of Bobby Davis after finding that he meets Missouri’s legal definition of a Sexually Violent Predator, concluding a case brought by the Attorney General’s Sexually Violent Predator Unit. The ruling puts Davis under the hands of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, where he will stay locked up for care, control, and therapy.
The commitment came after a jury trial that examined Davis’s criminal record and mental health at the time. Prosecutors said that Davis continues to pose a threat to public safety because of what he did in the past and what medical experts reported. After looking at the evidence, the jurors all agreed that he meets the requirements for commitment under state law.
Court records presented at the trial show that Davis has been se*ually violent for a long time, going back to the 1980s. That past includes being found guilty in 1999 of se*ually assaulting numerous youngsters.
Witnesses also said that his bad behavior didn’t stop with those convictions; he kept doing the same things while he was in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
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During the trial, expert psychologists said that Davis has Antisocial Personality Disorder and Other Specified Paraphilic Disorder. They decided that these circumstances are a mental disorder that makes him more likely than not to perpetrate more se*ual violence if he is freed without safe confinement and treatment. This medical evidence was very important to the jury’s decision.
The Attorney General added that the result shows that the office’s job is to keep communities safe from people who pose a substantial threat of se*ual violence.
“My Office is hard at work to fulfill our mission and protect Missourians from se*ually violent predators,” said Attorney General Hanaway. “I am thankful to our Sexually Violent Predator Unit attorneys who provide justice to victims and ensure predators can no longer threaten the safety of Missourians.”
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Assistant Attorneys General Paige Wheeler and Corie Geary-Atkins tried the case. The Attorney General’s Office said that the SVP Unit’s work is part of a bigger effort to make Missouri safer and defend the law.
The Attorney General’s Office continues to develop legal talent whose work strengthens the rule of law and delivers justice for victims across Missouri. Attorneys interested in joining this tradition of excellence and public service are encouraged to explore current opportunities at https://ago.mo.gov/about-us/job-opportunities/.
