Upshur County man sentenced for indecency with a child

UPSHUR COUNTY – An Upshur County man was sentenced to 125 years for eight counts of indecency with a child under the age of 14. According to our news partner KETK, 48-year-old Matthew Callie McCoy was found guilty of all eight counts in Upshur County court. The child victim told a family member on Sept. 12, 2018 about ongoing abuse at the hands of McCoy. According to District Attorney Billy Byrd, the child had just turned 10 years old and said they were afraid of McCoy because he was abusing them by touching them inappropriately. The child’s mother went to the Gilmer Police Department who investigated the case. At trial, the child testified and said they had been “physically abused and threatened to be killed if they told,” Byrd said. The child took the witness stand as did the child’s mother, a counselor and other witnesses that backed up the child’s statement.

The jury returned a guilty verdict on all eight counts of indecency with a child, and all eight counts alleged different dates when the crimes happened. After returning the verdict, the jury deliberated on punishment. They agreed on sentencing McCoy to 125 years combined. Judge Dean Fowler stacked those sentenced in the first four counts, which means McCoy will not be eligible for parole until he is in his early 80s. The state was represented by Byrd and the trial was presided over by Judge Dean Fowler.