Man convicted of multiple sex crimes receives consecutive life sentences

JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - A 44-year-old man from eastern Jackson County will spend his remaining years in prison after being convicted of multiple sex crimes, including rape and incest.

According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, John Leland Phelps received four consecutive life sentences for four convictions of statutory rape and sodomy. He also received seven- and four-year sentences for incest convictions.

A jury had found him guilty of the six felony charges in February.

The sexual assaults took place at a residence in eastern Jackson County in 2018, according to the prosecutor’s office.