Attorney General's News Release

June 17, 2008

St. Louis County jury commits St. Louis man as sexually violent predator

Clayton, Mo. - A jury in St. Louis County on Thursday (June 12) found Marvin Morton to be a sexually violent predator (SVP) and committed him to the state treatment center in Farmington. Circuit Judge Gary M. Gaertner signed the judgment and commitment order.

The office of Attorney General Jay Nixon sought to have Morton (DOB - 9/11/54) committed as an SVP due to his 2000 conviction in St. Louis County for 1st degree child molestation involving a six-year old girl, for which he received seven years in prison. Morton also pled guilty to first degree sexual abuse and third degree assault involving two girls, ages eight and eleven, in St. Louis City in 1983, for which he served one year of probation. A petition for civil commitment was filed Jan. 24, 2007.

"My office continues to aggressively pursue the indefinite commitment of those who still pose a threat to the public safety of Missourians," Nixon said. "While these offenders are civilly committed, they can receive the treatment they need."

Those committed by the court as sexually violent predators have the right to have their cases reviewed to determine if their mental abnormality has so changed that they are not likely to commit acts of sexual violence if released.

Currently, there are 100 sexually violent predators held in civil commitment in Missouri. Sexually violent predator commitments are handled by the Public Safety Division in Nixon's Office. Missouri's sexually violent predator law took effect in January 1999.