U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Friday, April 3, 2026, sentenced Monte Derrell Boatman, 37, of Fairview Heights to 28 years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a woman on the grounds of Gateway Arch National Park on Dec. 6, 2023. Clark ordered the term to run consecutively to an 84-month sentence Boatman is already serving after violating supervised release tied to a 2009 armed robbery conviction. Boatman pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of aggravated sexual abuse.
Clark handed down the 28-year sentence in federal court in St. Louis and ordered that it be added on top of the 84-month term already in place for the supervised release violation, according to the Belleville News-Democrat.
How The Arch Attack Unfolded
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, Boatman rode Metro into downtown St. Louis and exited at Laclede’s Landing at about 5:15 p.m. on Dec. 6, 2023. Minutes later, cameras captured him passing the victim near Fourth Street and Washington Avenue.
Prosecutors say Boatman doubled back, followed the woman, grabbed her from behind and forced her into bushes while holding a razor to her neck. He then sexually assaulted her and repeatedly threatened to kill her, according to the press release. Rangers with the National Park Service arrested Boatman two days later after a struggle in which one ranger sought medical attention, the release states.
Long Record Before The Arch Case
Court records show Boatman was involved in a 2009 armed robbery in the Southern District of Illinois and was sentenced in 2010 to 171 months in prison, according to filings cited by Justia. Boatman’s guilty plea in the Arch case and the prosecution's push for a 28-year term were reported when he admitted guilt in 2025, as covered in vicious sexual assault at Gateway Arch.
Prosecutors’ View And Federal Penalties
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson told the court that Boatman’s 2023 attack followed a “largely unabated history of criminality since the age of 13,” according to the Belleville News-Democrat. Aggravated sexual abuse is punishable in federal court by up to life in prison and fines up to $250,000, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release.
The investigation involved National Park Service rangers and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anderson prosecuted the case.
Hoodline covered Boatman’s guilty plea and early court filings in June 2025, publishing many of the details released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office at the time. Hoodline will continue to monitor court records and local reporting for any appeals or related developments.
