A few weeks ago, disgraced Stanford swimmer Brock Turner headed to jail for six months for his rape conviction. He was found guilty of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster, and he’ll probably walk in four months for good behavior. Judge Aaron Persky delivered a lenient sentence, and it wasn’t the first time he delivered an unfavorable ruling in similar cases. Turner had no trouble swaying the judge with a letter that blamed alcohol and party culture for his actions.
Turner did express slight remorse in the letter, but he spent much more time fretting over his ruined future. Further outrage was fueled when police records showed that Turner shared photos (that he captured during the rape) with his pals. But Turner was still treated well by Judge Persky, and now another college student has received a light touch too. Ex-Indiana University student John Enochs was charged in two rape cases (one from April 2015 and one from 2013). Through the power of a plea bargain, he received an even more lenient sentence — one year of probation — than Turner:
According to court documents, the [most recent] victim told police she’d been raped at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house, but didn’t know her alleged attacker. She said she repeatedly told him to stop, but he held her down. Eventually she was able to leave the room and get away.
Police said security video showed Enochs entering the room with the victim. She left after about 24 minutes. Health officials determined she suffered a laceration to her genitals.
During the investigation for the 2015 case, police noticed some similarities to the 2013 case, and that victim cooperated in bringing Turner to justice. DNA evidence supported her statements, but one year of probation for two rapes isn’t really justice. Once again, the system has favored a male college student over rape victims, even when DNA evidence and witness statements are present. Is there a solution to be found? Congress did address the Turner case by listening to that victim’s letter. And Texas Congressman Ted Poe lashed out at Turner’s “pathetic” sentence, but that doesn’t mean results will come. After all, the Senate and House of Representatives are both rather fond of inaction on many other important issues.
(Via Fox 59 in Indianapolis)