For Immediate Release:
July 15, 2019
A Jackson County jury today convicted Jerry Bausby of Murder in the Second Degree, Sodomy in the First Degree, Incest, and Sexual Abuse in the First Degree in the 2016 killing of his 18 year-old daughter, Daizsa Bausby.
Daizsa Bausby was found dead at the Four Acres Motel on Hickman Mills Drive in Jackson County, Missouri on the morning of March 21, 2016. The Defendant, who is the victim’s biological father, was arrested shortly thereafter. DNA and forensic evidence established Defendant as the prime suspect in the death of Daizsa Bausby.
Prosecutors for the State closed the trial today, where Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jill Icenhower urged the jury to find the Defendant guilty: “[Defendant] took [Daizsa] from her family, but he also took her from this community. [Daizsa] was too small to fight back, but you can fight for her.”
Arguing for the State of Missouri in closing, Jackson County elected Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker reminded the jury of the victim’s love of education and the potential the Defendant ended when he took her life. “[Daizsa] was two months away from her graduation” Peters Baker said, “[Defendant] couldn’t let her have what she worked so hard for. He knocked her down. He knocked her down on that motel bed and she never got back up.”
Members of the Bausby family were present including the victim’s younger sister, who testified on behalf of the State during the trial.
Defendant will be sentenced on September 20, 2019 in Division 11 of the Jackson County Circuit Court.
For additional information, contact:
Jared D. Bustamante
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
Jean Peters Baker, Prosecutor
P: 816.881.3538
F: 816.674.3954
jbustamante@jacksongov.org