Child Rapist Convicted
Copper Eckenrod was convicted of sexually abusing his stepdaughter beginning when she was just four years old. He was represented by the Public Defender’s Office and, having pled not guilty, was tried before a McDowell County jury in a trial that ran for five days. Assistant District Attorney Michael McEnery prosecuted the case on behalf of the State and the victim. The jury heard evidence and testimony about the sexual acts he performed on the victim from when she was four until she was nine years old, including testimony from the victim herself recounting the abuse. After only about thirty minutes of deliberation the jury found the defendant guilty on all counts, which included two counts of First Degree Sex Offense with a Child and three counts of Indecent Liberties with a Child. He was sentenced to 32 to 48.5 years in prison.
We would like to thank the McDowell County Child Advocacy Center - “Lily’s Place” - for all of their great work and the kindness they showed to the victim and her family. We also thank Detective Rick Gutierrez and the Marion Police Department for their hard work and effort in investigating this horrible crime. We are extremely grateful to the jury for the week they gave up out of their busy lives, their patient consideration of all of the evidence, and their swift verdict for the victim. And most importantly, we thank and commend the victim for her strength and resolution in taking the witness stand to tell her story.