LEXINGTON, MO – Lafayette County Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Hillbrener announces that Jose Zuniga, 44, of Lexington, Missouri pled guilty on June 1, 2026, to four counts of the unclassified felony of Statutory Sodomy, four counts of the class A felony of Sexual Exploitation of a Child and one count of the class B felony of Possession of Child Pornography. Per the plea agreement, the defendant was sentenced to a total of 50 years in the Department of Corrections, with him being statutorily required to serve at least eighty-five percent of sentence prior to being eligible for parole.

Charges were filed in February of 2025, after law enforcement had been notified that the defendant possibly possessed child pornography.

A search warrant was served on the defendant’s residence and child pornography was located. A child was identified in some of the images and videos and the child disclosed during a forensic interview, conducted at Child Safe in Sedalia, that she had been photographed by the defendant.

To protect the privacy of the victim, no further information will be provided.

Following the plea, Prosecutor Hilbrenner stated that the plea agreement for fifty years balances the justice the victim deserves with the desire to protect the victim from any further trauma by requiring the child to testify in a trial.

“While I believe most of us would like to see defendants who cause children this type of harm get as many years in prison as possible, part of my job is considering whether taking a case to trial in order to possibly get a longer sentence is worth the risk of causing the child to suffer even more trauma. In this case, we believe the outcome protects the child from having to go through a trial, but ensures the defendant will serve at least eighty-five percent of a very lengthy sentence. He is right where he needs to be, away from this victim and any other children, for a very long time.”

This investigation began because individuals in the community believed something harmful was going on so they reported it to law enforcement. You can help protect children from abuse and neglect by knowing the warning signs and reporting suspected abuse. To report suspected abuse, please call the Missouri Child Abuse Hotline 24/7 at 1-800-392-3738.