McConnell found guilty—again, first sentenced in Jan. 2020

Former Brookline fire chief found guilty of second degree sodomy, rape in revitalized case
 
 
Former Brookline Fire Chief Larry McConnell has been found guilty of one count of statutory sodomy in the second degree and one count of rape in the second degree. This is not the first time, however, that McConnell has been tried for these crimes.
In November of 2019, McConnell was convicted of three counts of statutory sodomy in the second degree and one count of second-degree rape. According to court documents, McConnell abused his position as Brookline Fire Chief to take advantage of a 16-year-old female cadet. In January of 2020, he was sentenced to three concurrent five-year prison terms.
In January of 2024, after he had already served some of his sentence, McConnell’s charges were vacated by the Missouri Court of Appeals with the ruling stating that medical records contradict the victim’s testimony and McConnell received ineffective counsel.
“The motion court’s findings that McConnell’s trial counsel did not provide effective assistance of counsel and that no prejudice resulted are clearly erroneous. The order denying McConnell’s Rule 29.15 motion for post conviction relief is reversed; McConnell’s conviction and sentence… are vacated,”
The victim claimed that much of the abuse happened on Wednesday nights when McConnell’s wife was at church. The appeals court took issue with this, however, as records show that during the time of abuse—the beginning of 2016—McConnell’s wife was almost wholly unable to move, as one of her legs was in an immobilizer and the other was in a splint, according to the court ruling.
The appellate court also ruled that McConnell received ineffective counsel, saying that his wife’s medical records should have been brought forward to aid his defense.
“The decision of McConnell’s trial counsel to not investigate was unreasonable given their knowledge of Wife’s medical records and church attendance records,” stated the court of appeals ruling. “McConnell’s trial had ‘numerous’ discussions regarding Wife’s medical condition, understood Wednesdays to be ‘significant because that was church night,’ and knew ‘the issue’ for their case was Victim’s age when the abuse started.”
Because of these reasons, the appeals court ruled that McConnell was to be given a new trial.

Round two
Throughout the course of this new trial, new and old evidence was presented to the jury. Prosecutors brought forward information that pointed toward McConnell’s sexual abuse of a 16-year-old female victim in early 2016. The victim was originally a volunteer cadet for the Brookline Fire Department, but McConnell would eventually bring her on to work at his farm. According to court documents, the abuse began with McConnell holding hands with the victim, massaging her back and cuddling her. The abuse would continue and worsen in severity until about April 17. The victim said she felt obligated to comply because of McConnell’s position and her desire to become a firefighter.
The statutory sodomy charge stems from the instance of sexual contact between the victim and McConnell; this was stated by court documents to have taken place before the victim turned 17. The second charge, rape in the second degree, stems from an incident after the victim turned 17 and said no to McConnell’s advances.
Near the end of a four-day jury trial in Greene County Circuit Court, the jurors began deliberations; some hours later, they reportedly delivered a note to the judge saying they had reached a decision on the rape charges, but they were unsure on statutory sodomy charges.
The jury would eventually return not guilty verdicts on two statutory sodomy counts and a guilty verdict on the first count of sodomy in the second degree and one count of rape in the second degree.
Post-trial motions are set for March 20.
“This conviction demonstrates that those who abuse positions of trust to exploit young people will be held accountable. I commend the victim for her courage in coming forward and staying the course through two trials, and I thank the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation of this case,” said Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson.