Daniel Holtzclaw, a former Oklahoma City police officer accused of raping women while on duty, has been found guilty on multiple charges.
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Holtzclaw was convicted on 18 of the 36 charges he was facing, including counts of rape, sexual battery, indecent exposure, and forced oral sodomy.
The jury found Holtzclaw guilty of 18 counts including sexual battery and rape.
The woman testified she was raped by a police officer but could not identify Holtzclaw specifically and said she thought the officer was a black man shorter than her. She testified she was walking to her cousin’s house when the officer pulled up in his auto.
The grandmother whose allegations led authorities to launch an investigation into ex-Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw was in the courtroom as he was convicted of assaulting her. Peery said. “The Oklahoma City Police Department believed the victims and pursued charges in this case”. They have now met for about 34 hours over three days. In an attempt to undermine his victims’ credibility, his attorney, Scott Adams, questioned Holtzclaws’ accusers on their marijuana use, drinking, thefts and suspended driver’s licenses.
The defense argued that the victims’ testimony was unreliable. Others were outraged that it was taking the jury so long to deliberate in a case with a seeming abundance of evidence. “He counted on the fact no one would believe them and no one would care”.
Holtzclaw’s attorney focused heavily on whether accusers with drug histories and criminal records were credible.
Some women gathered outside the Oklahoma County Courthouse celebrated Holtzclaw’s conviction by mockingly singing “Happy Birthday”, KFOR reported. Defence lawyers called only one witness, an ex-girlfriend who said Holtzclaw never made her feel uncomfortable.
Perhaps Holtzclaw was in a jealous rage that his female rape victim had a boyfriend, but that resulted in the criminal stalking charge against him. He attacked the 17-year-old victim on her mother’s porch.
Holtzclaw was convicted Thursday night of preying on the teenager and other women he met on his police beat in a minority, low-income neighborhood.
The jury recommended Holtzclaw serve a total of 263 years.
Holtzclaw was ordered into custody. Not every state has a process for banning problem officers from re-entering law enforcement.
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Holtzclaw’s attorney said that “Holtzclaw is a honorable and ethical police officer”.
