These Letters Written to the Judge in the Stanford Rape Case Might Be Why Brock Turner Got a Light Sentence
Recently released letters sent to the judge in the Stanford rape trial might reveal part of why Brock Turner got such an unusually short jail sentence for his crimes.
While Turner faced a maximum of 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster on Stanford University's campus last January, he was only sentenced to an unusually lenient six months, less than the state's minimum of two years. Now, multiple sources report that the judge relied heavily on letters from Turner's family and friends when he made his decision to give Turner an easy sentence.
Even though Turner was ultimately convicted of three felony counts, including assault with the intent to commit rape of an unconscious person, dozens of Turner's friends and family members wrote to Judge Persky pleading for him not to send Turner to jail at all. These letters claimed that Turner was an inherently good person and that alcohol was to blame for his actions that evening. Even more horrifyingly, the majority of these letters either implied or directly suggested that the victim was to blame for the assault.
Here are just a few excerpts from some of those letters.
Caroline Turner, sister:
I have gotten to know the new Brock: I have witnessed him carry the stigma of being accused of rape and sexual assault and the social, professional and cultural effects that he has experienced; I have witnessed his struggle to even get out of bed ... A series of alcohol-fueled decisions that he made within an hour time span will define him for the rest of his life. Goodbye to NCAA championships. Goodbye to the Olympics. Goodbye to becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Goodbye to life as he knew it.
Carleen Turner, mother:
I beg of you, please don't send him to jail/prison. Look at him. He won't survive it. He will be damaged forever and I fear he would be a major target. Stanford boy, college kid, college athlete - all the publicity. This would be a death sentence for him. Having lost everything he has ever worked for his entire life and knowing the registry is a requirement for the rest of his life certainly is more than harsh. His dreams have been shattered by this.
Dan Turner, father:
As it stands now, Brock's life has been deeply altered forever by the events of Jan 17th and 18th. He will never be his happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile. His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear and depression. You can see this in his face, the way he walks, his weakened voice, his lack of appetite ... These verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family in so many ways. His life will never be the one he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.
Carolyn and Richard Bradfield, grandparents:
We were shocked, and stunned by the outcome and left to the only thing we could do ? hold each other and cry... Brock is the only person being held accountable for the actions of other irresponsible adults. He raised a right hand, swore an oath and told the truth. Brock is a good 20 year old young man who has never been in trouble. Brock has essentially served a 14 month jail sentence while awaiting trial. We beg the court to grant time served and no additional time to our grandson, Brock Turner.
Leslie Rasmussen, childhood friend:
Brock is not a monster. He is the furthest thing from anything like that, and I have known him much longer than the people involved in this case. I don't think it's fair to base the fate of the next ten + years of his life on the decision of a girl who doesn't remember anything but the amount she drank to press charges against him. I am not blaming her directly for this, because that isn't right. But where do we draw the line and stop worrying about being politically correct every second of the day and see that rape on campuses isn't always because people are rapists... [People drinking too much at a party school] is completely different from a woman getting kidnapped and raped as she is walking to her car in a parking lot. That is a rapist. These are not rapists. These are idiot boys and girls having too much to drink and not being aware of their surroundings and having clouded judgement.
Margaret Quinn, family friend:
There is no doubt Brock made a mistake that night - he made a mistake in drinking excessively to the point where he could not fully appreciate that his female acquaintance was so intoxicated. I know Brock did not go to that party intending to hurt, or entice, or overpower anyone. That is not his nature. It has never been.
Jeff Coudron, family friend:
The verdict hurt because we knew he was a great kid that in the matter of a few hours, made a few bad decisions that have changed his life forever. The media never mentioned the girl's name to protect her, but they plastered Brock's everywhere, even before he was tried.
