Marionville man gets 23 years in prison after pleading guilty to abusing baby, raping mother

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Missouri — A Marionville man confessed Tuesday to shaking a baby and raping its mother earlier this year.

Zachary Bridwell arrest photo

On Tuesday, a Lawrence County Circuit Court judge sentenced Zachary Bridwell to 23 years in prison for first-degree assault, sexual exploitation of a minor and second-degree rape of a minor. A charge of abuse or neglect of a child was dropped as part of the plea agreement.

On January 4, 2024, the Missouri Department of Social Services Division of Children’s Services reported to the Aurora-Marionville Police Department that a 6-month-old baby was in critical condition at a Springfield hospital due to a stroke caused by Shaken Baby Syndrome and that she also had bruising all over her body.

Bridwell admitted to investigators that he shook her daughter’s neck on January 2 as she cried, but told them he didn’t mean to kill her, just hurt her. He also admitted to having a sexual relationship with a minor, who was the baby’s mother.