A Jefferson City man, who was found guilty in connection with a rape investigation from May 2017, was sentenced Friday to 35 years in prison.
Shawndell Miller, 42, was found guilty after a bench trial in September before Cole County Presiding Judge Pat Joyce who sentenced Miller on Friday.
Miller was found guilty of one count each of first-degree rape, sodomy and kidnapping, along with two counts of armed criminal action. He was found not guilty on additional charges of first-degree sodomy and armed criminal action.
Officers responded to a residence in the 600 block of Belmont Street for a call of a possible intruder in the residence, according to police reports. When officers arrived, they said, Miller had fled the area.
The residents said he had entered the home and sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl. The victim reported the man she identified as Miller had pulled her out of her bed, threatened her with a handgun and forced her to another room in the house, where he raped her, according to a probable cause statement.
The victim said Miller then took her cellphone to prevent her from calling anyone. After being located and arrested, Miller admitted to committing the assault, police said.