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The story is cut, dried, and brutal. Brock Allen Turner, now 20 years old, was convicted of felony sexual assault after being caught in the act by two passersby.
Turner, who is from Dayton, Ohio, was arrested on the Palo Alto campus on 18 January 2015 after two Stanford graduate students spotted him lying on top of the victim outside of a Kappa Alpha party behind a dumpster. When officers arrived, the woman, who is not a Stanford student, was “completely unresponsive” and partially clothed, with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit, according to police.
The two witnesses who were biking past that evening said they saw Turner “thrusting” on top of the motionless woman and that they intervened and held him until police showed up.
Turner, who had a blood-alcohol level that was twice the legal limit, testified in court that he could walk and talk at the time and acknowledged that the victim was “very drunk”. He claimed that he did not intend to rape the woman and that the encounter was consensual.
The victim, who gave emotional testimony during the trial, regained consciousness at a hospital more than three hours after the assault and told police she had no memory of the attack.
To its credit, Stanford barred Turner from campus, and from ever returning as a student once he withdrew from school.
The real story, now, is that Turner, after being convicted of three felonies, is only being sentenced to six months in county jail. He could have received up to 14 years in state prison. The judge in the case, Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, gave Turner an extraordinarily lenient sentence because he felt that he was “sorry.”
Persky said Turner’s version of events, which is that he didn’t commit a crime because the woman was conscious and consented, is different than the one the jury accepted.
But Persky said he is not convinced Turner’s “lack of complete acquiescence to the verdict should count against him.”
Persky said Turner exhibited genuine feelings of remorse Thursday and the judge also has to take into consideration the whole picture of how imprisonment affects a person’s life.
Turner didn’t have a criminal history and both he and the victim were intoxicated, Persky said.
Persky also noted how Turner plans to start a cause in which he’ll teach and educate college students about the effects of excessive drinking and sexual promiscuity.
Persky said he read many character witness letters, including one from Turner’s friend that said she would never have guessed he could commit such a crime.
The victim’s impact statement, which deserves to be read in full, pointed out how Turner has refused, consistently, to admit to the rape and assault that he was caught in the act doing, and instead, continually blames the alcohol.
Unfortunately, after reading the defendant’s report, I am severely disappointed and feel that he has failed to exhibit sincere remorse or responsibility for his conduct. I fully respected his right to a trial, but even after twelve jurors unanimously convicted him guilty of three felonies, all he has admitted to doing is ingesting alcohol. Someone who cannot take full accountability for his actions does not deserve a mitigating sentence. It is deeply offensive that he would try and dilute rape with a suggestion of “promiscuity”. By definition rape is not the absence of promiscuity, rape is the absence of consent, and it perturbs me deeply that he can’t even see that distinction.
What has he done to demonstrate that he deserves a break? He has only apologized for drinking and has yet to define what he did to me as sexual assault, he has revictimized me continually, relentlessly. He has been found guilty of three serious felonies and it is time for him to accept the consequences of his actions. He will not be quietly excused.
He is a lifetime sex registrant. That doesn’t expire. Just like what he did to me doesn’t expire, doesn’t just go away after a set number of years. It stays with me, it’s part of my identity, it has forever changed the way I carry myself, the way I live the rest of my life.
It’s often said that alcohol doesn’t make us do things, but it reveals who we are. And now we have Example A of why Brock Turner, with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit, sexually assaulted an unconscious woman.
Meet Daddie Dearest, Dan Turner.
#brockturner father: son not "violent" only got "20 mins of action" shouldn't have to go to prison. @thehuntinground pic.twitter.com/IFECJs687b
— Michele Dauber (@mldauber) June 5, 2016
In those 20 minutes of time, had Brock Turner decided to drive instead of commit a rape, he could have killed someone. He could have robbed the victim blind and emptied her bank account. But Daddie Dearest does not want people to judge his baby boy for “20 minutes” of bad behavior. He bemoans that he can’t buy his boy a steak anymore. He also refuses to acknowledge that his son is a convicted rapist, but instead focuses on “binge drinking” and “sexual promiscuity.” Excuse me, Daddie Dearest? Both of those issues that you list? Those are on YOU. Apparently, you never had a few talks with your son about not binge drinking. You never told him to keep his junk off unconscious women, or to not touch girls who clearly can’t talk back at the moment. And how do I know you didn’t? Your reaction now tells me you didn’t. If you had, you would be expressing shame, regret, horror, anger, that you raised a son what would be capable of this felony, and telling him to “man up” and accept the blame and consequences. Instead, you are whining over how your son’s life is “deeply altered forever” because he has to register as a sex offender. Not one word of sympathy or apology to the young woman he raped. Congratulations, Daddie Dearest. You created this monster. And when he gets out of the county lockup in three months (with time for good behavior figured in), he will go home to live with you. You can cook him steaks for the rest of his life, because he’s YOUR parasite. The rest of decent society will want little to do with your precious son, the registered sex offender.
Since the victim in this case did not receive a true measure of justice through the legal system, she will have to receive one through the court of public opinion.
Ashleigh Banfield reading entire #BrockTurner rape victim statement on live television. #CNN #Stanford pic.twitter.com/hxA0xenuTa
— Heather Archuletta (@Pillownaut) June 6, 2016
Rape victim: After detailing "graphic details of my own sexual assault, the article listed his swimming times" https://t.co/mV2kYYRdBF
— CNN (@CNN) June 6, 2016
Her impact statement should be read widely, and may we all be as brave as her rescuers that night.
Most importantly, thank you to the two men who saved me, who I have yet to meet. I sleep with two bicycles that I drew taped above my bed to remind myself there are heroes in this story. That we are looking out for one another. To have known all of these people, to have felt their protection and love, is something I will never forget.
May we never shirk from stopping evil in the act, and may we never stop shunning those who commit such acts and refuse to take responsibility for their actions.
j walter says: people act different when they are drunk or high.
GWB says: they saw Turner “thrusting” on top of the motionless woman
Ummmm, why isn’t it mentioned whether he had his p____ out? They talk about him “thrusting”, and they mention holding him until police arrive, but absolutely no mention is made whether he actually was doing what was necessary to penetrate her. The victim’s impact statement uses the word rape – doesn’t that sort of require he had his p____ out? (There’s no mention made of the woman’s state of undress, either.) That seems to be a weird omission, doesn’t it?
only got “20 mins of action”
*FACEPALM* Oy vey. What an idiot.
the judge also has to take into consideration the whole picture of how imprisonment affects a person’s life.
This is exactly why folks pushed for mandatory sentencing back in the 80s. The same mandatory sentencing the left is bemoaning because it’s “racist”. I don’t think there should be *any* consideration of the effects of the punishment. The law should be blind to the status, race, position, sex, and emotional appeals of both accused and accuser in determining guilt and sentence.
Turner didn’t have a criminal history and both he and the victim were intoxicated, Persky said.
Well, if he was intoxicated, then why not charge the girl with rape? Hmmm? After all, he couldn’t really consent in that condition, could he? (Evidently, if there’s no info missing from the articles cited above [there likely is], he wasn’t even competent to get his p_____ out of his pants, nor her clothes off. Damn, *that* is drunk.) That’s the argument from the academic left’s reasoning, anyway.
On a serious note, how did the girl get out there? Did he actually drag her outside and behind the dumpster? That makes other people culpable, it would seem. (There had to be other people around in the frat house?) Did she walk (or crawl) out there with him, then pass out? That speaks to some kind of … consent. (Though what level is impossible to determine.)
I’m not engaging in some blame-the-victim bit. But, again, alcohol bites a woman in the behind. Not drinking until you’re blind drunk is a primary defense against this sort of thing. It’s also a good defense for the guys – being able to give a coherent, competent narrative of what happened, when, who might be a witness, helps loads if you’re falsely accused. And you can’t do any of those things when you’re s___-faced.
And, I concur on kudos to the two Good Samaritans. They stepped into a situation where they knew nothing about circumstances, and did good. May we all have the same courage and integrity.
Cassy Fiano says: In the victim’s statement, she makes it clear multiple times that she was digitally raped. He used his fingers, not his penis.
GWB says: Ah! That explains the back-and-forth between “sexual assault” and “rape”, too. (I’m afraid I usually can’t watch videos due to bandwidth and other issues. Thank you for the info.)
Drunk people do very stupid things. smh
GWB says: BTW, you ladies have some of the best back-and-forth when you get comments. I feel confident when I comment that you all will not simply jump to defense of your position, but ponder what is said. I do love this site. (Though there aren’t near enough posts, nor commenters! 🙂 )
Wfjag says: I don’t mean to sound callus, but some context is called for:
First, 6 mos at county sounds lenient. However, if he was sent to a state prison where hardened felons are held, they’d kill him. What he did, doesn’t deserve a death sentence (even a de facto one). That said, what else would you do with him? Other than having him pick up trash along the road, there isn’t much in the way of “community service” you’d trust having a rapist do. If you have better ideas for appropriate punishments that won’t put people at risk, tell your Legislators and get them enacted into law. Supervised probation is a joke – the perp goes home and meets once a month with a probation officer, to deny doing anything bad or hanging out with other perps. Compared to that, 6 mos in County looks like hard time.
Second, the statements were drafted by the perp’s and Daddy’s lawyers in view of the damages suit the victim has or will file. “The Devil (alcohol) made me do it!” and, he’s really a good kid who did something dumb while drunk (so don’t ruin our lives with a huge judgment), are pretty standard tort defense arguments. Confession is good for the soul, but will hang your ass out in court. Don’t expect an admission of wrong doing till after there’s a settlement.
Finally, the real heroes, who should be publicly recognized and praised are the 2 guys on the bikes. They did what people should do, but don’t do often enough.
I once was a young college student. I think of my daughter… who will in the near future be a college student.
How many of us in college made some stupid choices? *raises hand
But how many of us in college made stupid choices that led to what happened in this scenario? Few to very few.
There are literally people out there – some who have young daughters no less! – who are wanting to give this kid and his dad a pass on this and work to throw that young lady – a SURVIVOR under the bus once again.
THEY ARE WRONG. I could go on about this – but I’ll leave the rest to a father who gets it
http://johnpavlovitz.com/2016/06/06/to-brock-turners-father-from-another-father/
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