Turner made national headlines for his trial three months ago when the judge gave the athlete an extremely small sentence, citing his athletic potential and a desire not to ruin his life as explanation for his weak sentence.
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He sure is. Following Turner’s release on Friday, demonstrators gathered outside the San Jose jail to demand Persky be recalled from the bench.
She read a heart-wrenching victim impact statement to the court during sentencing, in which she mostly addressed Turner directly, describing her suffering for more than a year in vivid detail.
Turner will now serve out the remainder of his sentencing terms: three years of probation and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Turner was convicted of assaulting the young woman near a trash bin after they drank heavily at a fraternity party in January 2015.
In an interrogation video seen by NBC News, a detective asked Turner if he would recognize the woman if he saw her again.
The students confronted him and tackled him when he tried to run away.
A jury found Turner guilty on three felony counts: assault with the intent to commit rape of an unconscious person, sexual penetration of an unconscious person and sexual penetration of an intoxicated person. Prosecutors had argued for six years.
“I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin two lives”, she wrote. We can let this destroy us, I can remain angry and hurt, and you can be in denial, or we can face it head on.
“We don’t know who picked him up or where he’s going, but we’re done with him”, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith told reporters outside the jail.
She also voiced support for a pending legislative bill that would mandate prison for Turner’s crimes.
The California Assembly voted 66-0 Monday to make a prison sentence mandatory for the same crime Turner committed. As of Friday afternoon, Brown hasn’t revealed whether he will sign.
The statement emphasized the focus on a bill, AB 2888, that would require a state prison sentence for anyone convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious person. The bill, which the Democratic governor has until September 30 to veto or sign, would require judges to choose an appropriate prison term rather than opt for probation or a stint in jail.
Following backlash and a push for a recall, Persky voluntarily removed himself from hearing criminal cases, starting next week.
In the meantime, supporters of the judge responded with their own campaign this week with a website called “Retain Judge Persky”.
The Latest on the release of former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner (all times local): 11:39 a.m.
According to the group, they have delivered signatures of more than 1,000,000 members to the California Commission on Judicial Performance to petition the removal of Judge Persky.
Before Turner’s was sentenced, his father sent a controversial letter to the judge in his son’s case, which also led to a lot of criticism. Inside look at jail cell where Brock Turner served 3-month sentenceIt took about 20 seconds for Turner to exit the lobby door, go down the steps and hop into a waiting SUV.
Supporters say the ballot measure promotes rehabilitation programs and allows corrections officials to decide who gets early parole and who stays behind bars.
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While Turner who was released Friday is expected to return to OH, the woman at the center of the case remains anonymous, but her letter describing the aftermath will no doubt continue to resonate.
