Child rapist sentenced to 20 years in prison

CANTON — A 27-year-old man here was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to having sex with two underage girls, Madison County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett, announced.

The man, Bruce Jermal Thompson, 27, was sentenced to serve 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections without the possibility of early release or parole, Bramlett said on March 25.

“All time will be served day for day with no chance for early release or parole,” Bramlett said. “Upon release, he will be required to register and report as a sex offender for the rest of his life.”

In February 2019, the University of Mississippi Medical Center reported to the Canton Police Department that they had a 15-year-old female miscarry a child while at the hospital, Bramlett said. 

CPD then began an investigation to determine who the father of the child was due to the mother still being under the age of consent. 

Their investigation and DNA testing confirmed that Thompson was the father. He was 22 years old at the time the baby was conceived, and the victim would have been 14, the authorities said.

Before the indictment was served on the defendant, officers received a complaint from another juvenile’s mother that Thompson had been having sex with her child since the child was 12 years old, according to Bramlett. 

“Thompson and the juvenile were cousins,” Bramlett said.

Officers searched Facebook and text messages which revealed explicit text messages between Thompson and the underage female indicating that he had been engaging in sexual acts with the child since 2021, Bramlett said.

“Neither victim wished to testify against Thompson, who pleaded guilty in each case,” Bramlett said.

He was sentenced to serve 20 years on each case with the sentences to run concurrently.