Jury swiftly delivers 102-year sentence for Missouri man after police standoff

PEMISCOT COUNTY, Mo. - A jury here took just 114 minutes to recommend a Kennett man serve a prison sentence of more than a century in the Missouri Dept. of Corrections (MODOC) for a laundry list of felonies, including an eight-hour police standoff.

Kenneth Canday, 25, who listed Crawford Street at Kennett as an address, was found guilty on Nov. 7, 2024, of two counts of felony First-Degree Assault, amended to felony Second-Degree Assault, for which he was sentenced to 10 years each with Armed Criminal Action (ACA), for which he'll serve an additional three years on each count; First-Degree Robbery, 15 years with ACA of three years; felony Third-Degree Assault, four years; two counts of felony First-Degree Kidnapping, 20 years each with three years ACA each; felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon, four years; and felony Resisting Arrest, four years; for a total of 102 years incarceration at MODOC.

According to court records, the crimes that read torturous were committed at Senath on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, and first were reported in the early morning hours of Jan. 28, 2024, to Senath Police Officer Jerry Gentry.

Gentry's Probable Cause Affidavit (PCA) states at 4:20 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 28, he was called to a home on South State Street.

"Upon my arrival, the victim, an older white male, stated that on Saturday night, he was called over to his friend's house where he lives at 100 Highfill Street, apartment number 23."

The victim was met there by his friend and "two other white" females, Gentry's APA states.

"Then (redacted) and Kenneth Canaday (sic) came out of the bathroom, and one of the girls locked the door," Gentry reported. "(Redacted) and Kenneth told the girls to go into the room, and turned on the music in the bathroom. Then the two guys jumped him."

What came next was extreme violence, bordering on torture, for both the victim and evidently, the victim's son.

"Kenneth wrapped something around his neck and was choking him, then (redacted) hit him and whooped him," Gentry's PCA states. "(Redacted) started kicking him. Kenneth then heated up a knife, stuck it to his face, and (began) cutting him. Thenn (sic) touched the victim('s) throat with the knife and said if he went to the police they would kill him and his son."

The pair forced the victim to clean his blood from the bathroom, stripped him naked to inspect him for recording devices, and more, the PCA states.

"One of them also stole his phone and was texting his son after the assault," Gentry reports. "The victims (') injuries matched his statement and was photographt (sic)."

The PCA includes a statement from one witness that reads, "When (redacted) and Kenneth came out of the bathroom they made the victim sit in a chair, they both had a knife and (redacted) was wearing gloves. (Redacted) and Kenneth made all three of the girls go into the bedroom while in the room the music stop(ped) and she could hear the victim hollering at her. When she came out of the room Kenneth had something around the victims(') neck and (redacted) hit him. She stoped (sic) it and they made the victum (sic) clean up the blood and took him to the bathroom and made him strip. (Redacted) and Kenneth threaten(ed) all of them. Kenneth Canaday (sic) has not been located at this time. The victum (sic) statement along with witness statement sent with probable (cause) affidavit."

A SEMO News Service account of the following day indicates Canday took two people hostage and engaged in "an eight-hour standoff" with police.

"Hostage negotiators successfully secured the release of one hostage after four hours," the account reads. "And a SWAT team intervened to rescue the second hostage and apprehend Canday."

The perpetrator was arrested and lodged at the Dunklin County Justice Center at Kennett with no bond ordered.

Canday was in the past charged with a myriad of offenses, including tampering with electronic monitoring equipment, receiving stolen property, stalking, and unlawful use of a weapon.

Canday was tried as a prior and persistent offender, according to court records, and 34th Judicial District Circuit Court Presiding Judge Joshua Underwood ordered security increased to "Security Level 3 once clerks begin calling potential jurors into court for jury selection and shall be maintained at Security Level 3 until jury selection is completed."

Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain charged Canday, who was represented by Malden Attorney Inga Hilfiker, who acted as a special public defender.

Dunklin County Asst. Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Dicus represented the state at trial.

Hilfiker moved for Canday's acquittal on Nov. 7, 2024, and was overruled. Hilfiker appealed Canday's charges and conviction on Jan. 13.

Canday is reportedly at the Eastern Reception and Diagnostic Correctional Center at Bon Terre.