Overview
- On Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, Judge Murielle Bright sentenced 16‑year‑old Landon Doty to a total of 54 years in prison after an April jury found him guilty on multiple counts including rape and child molesting.
- Prosecutors said Jennings County school bus surveillance video captured repeated assaults of an autistic, non‑verbal 7‑year‑old during April 2025 and that a bus monitor intervened after noticing an incident on April 17, 2025.
- Doty’s defense argued the evidence was circumstantial, noting that the bus driver and monitor testified they 'saw nothing alarming,' Doty’s DNA was not found on the child, and Doty said he used nonsexual 'calming techniques.'
- The victim’s family has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $10.5 million, alleging gross negligence, civil‑rights violations and permanent harm caused by the school, the bus driver and the bus monitor.
- Legal questions remain as prosecutors press criminal accountability, defense lawyers signal appeals, and the civil case could force scrutiny of school supervision practices and how juvenile offenders are handled.