Prison Time For West Point Man

Jackson, Miss.- Marcus Wilburn Knight, 50, of West Point, is going to prison for child exploitation, announced Attorney General Jim Hood.

Knight recently appeared before Clay County Circuit Court Judge Lee J. Howard and entered an open plea of guilty to one count of child exploitation. When a defendant enters an open plea, he/she refuses to accept the state’s recommendation and instead throws himself on the mercy of the court.

Judge Howard sentenced Knight to serve a term of five years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections with three years to serve followed by two years of suspension under the terms and conditions of post release supervision. Knight was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine. Additionally, he must also register as a sex offender upon his release from imprisonment.

After receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, investigators with the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit conducted an investigation leading to the arrest of Knight. The investigation revealed that Knight had uploaded child pornography images to his Google (Gmail) account.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorneys General Brandon Ogburn and Linda Davis of the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit.