From: Platte County Prosecuting Attorney "Eric Zahnd"
Date: September 24, 2009
Subject: Child pornographer sentenced to 36 years in prison
A Parkville man has been sentenced to 36 years in prison after being found guilty of child pornography offenses for the second time in eight years. David D. Liberty, 50, received the sentence September 24 after being found guilty in a July trial of one count of promoting child pornography and eight counts of possession of child pornography.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “Sadly, when this defendant was caught with child pornography in 2002, the crime was only a misdemeanor, carrying a punishment no more serious than the penalty for littering. As a result, the defendant had the opportunity to victimize children again—and he took it. My hope is that with this sentence, this man will spend the rest of his life in prison and never have another chance to hurt another young boy.”
Prosecutors proved at trial that Liberty posted descriptions of sexual contact with young boys on an Internet forum dedicated to those who are sexually attracted to young boys. The posts were brought to the attention of law enforcement officers by Wikisposure, a group of volunteers who monitor the Internet for potentially illegal activity by child predators.
A search of Liberty’s computer conducted pursuant to a May 2008 search warrant turned up multiple images of child pornography. Some of the images depicted boys under the age of 14 participating in sexual conduct. Another showed a naked young boy hog-tied. Still others showed boys ages eight to 12 in diapers. Liberty had also taken hundreds of pictures of young children in public at local fairs and festivals. |
David D. Liberty
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Detectives discovered that Liberty had tried to erase child pornography from his computer after he learned he might be the subject of an investigation. Liberty later made a phone call from the Platte County Jail in which he was recorded saying that his computer contained information that would justify “hundreds” charges.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors recommended Liberty serve the maximum possible prison term of 71 years. Judge Owens Lee Hull, Jr. sentenced Liberty to 36 years in prison. Hull ordered Liberty to serve 12 years in prison for promoting child pornography to be served consecutively to three year terms on eight counts of possession of child pornography.
Among the evidence prosecutors presented at the sentencing hearing was that Liberty was convicted of possession of child pornography in 2002. When he was arrested for that crime, officers found rope, bailing twine, scissors, a dog collar, and luggage straps. Liberty was wearing a diaper and had a pacifier at the time.
Liberty ultimately spent 180 days in the Platte County Jail for that offense.
Zahnd twice pressed the Missouri legislature to increase penalties for child pornography crimes, drafting and testifying on behalf of proposed legislation. The legislature responded by increasing penalties for child pornography offenses in 2004 and again in 2008.
Zahnd said, “It is a shame that prosecutors did not have the sentencing tools to take this defendant off the streets for good in 2002. Legislatures and judges are slowly recognizing the horrors of child pornography and that men who collect these images are truly dangerous predators hurting real children.”
The case was investigated by detectives with the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Platte County Sheriff’s Department and the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory. It was prosecuted by Chris Seufert, who is the assistant prosecutor in Zahnd’s office assigned to the Cyber Crimes Unit, and Abby Pennell, another assistant prosecutor in Zahnd’s office.
Eric G. Zahnd
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney
415 Third Street
Suite 60
Platte City, Missouri 64079
(816) 858-3476
(816) 858-3472 (fax)
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