Donovan Sheppard: Oklahoma Youth Baseball Coach Sentenced to Life for Repeated Rape of 12-Year-Old Girl

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Warning: This post contains details of child abuse. 

A former youth baseball coach from Oklahoma, who is HIV positive, will probably spend the rest of his life behind bars.

In 2024, Donovan Sheppard was convicted of repeatedly raping a minor, including on her birthday. 

This disturbing case has shocked the city of  Oklahoma, and also exposed a predator who hid in plain sight while coaching young athletes.  




Donovan Sheppard's crimes came to light On January 13, 2024.

That day, he got into a fight at a bar in Moore. 

After the fight, he called the woman he was living with to come and get him. 

After picking him up, she drove them back to their home in Oklahoma City, where her 12-year-old daughter also lived.

Later that night, the woman started looking for Sheppard in the house only to find him raping her daughter in the child’s bedroom. 

She immediately called the local police department and held him at gunpoint until police arrived and arrested him.

When Sheppard was questioned by police officers, he admitted to being HIV-positive.

He also confirmed he was not using protection during the assault, according to the criminal complaint sighted by KFOR News.  

During an interview with crime scene investigators, the young victim revealed that this was not the first time.

She told authorities that Sheppard had raped her six times, starting when she was just 11 years old. 

"He raped me," the girl reportedly told a forensic interviewer.

According to police reports, she specifically told detectives that he raped her on her 12th birthday.





After he was arrested, Donovan Sheppard was charged with a series of disturbing crime and held on a $500,000 bond.

Due to to the overwhelming evidence, Sheppard pleaded guilty to the charges against him, including:  
  • Three counts of first-degree rape of a minor under 14
  • Two counts of lewd molestation 
  • One count of rape by instrumentation
  • One count of exposing others to AIDS 
  • One count of pattern of criminal offenses
In August 2024, he was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 62 years, as reported by Newsweek 

He will be eligible for parole after 35 years but must also pay court fees and contribute to the victim’s compensation fund.  

Sheppard’s arrest sent shockwaves through the local baseball community.

He was a well-known youth coach who had coached the Oklahoma Aftermath for years. 

Parents who had trusted him with their children expressed disbelief and outrage, struggling to reconcile the man they thought they knew with the monster convicted of these crimes.  
 
While Sheppard’s sentencing ensures he will never harm another child, the case serves as a harsh reminder that predators often operate in trusted roles. 


Got a tip about a crime? Please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS immediately. 

You can also see how to report a crime anonymously online if you wish to remain anonymous.



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