Richland man sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexual abuse of a child

A Richland, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a child.

U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool sentenced Robert Norman Kennedy, 41, to 40 years in prison without parole.

Kennedy will also be on lifelong supervised release after prison.

He will also have to register as a sex offender.

On January 18, 2024, Kennedy pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The victim said Kennedy began abusing her when she was ten years old and continued the abuse until she was seventeen.

The victim said Kennedy forced her to leave Missouri after an investigation into the sexual abuse.

They ended up in a van and a tent in Georgia.

When police arrested Kennedy on another charge in December 2022, he and the victim were living in a hotel.