Now, another statement from Turner’s mother Carleen Turner to Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky has emerged, reported Good Morning America on Friday.
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Several images that prosecutors referenced during the trial are included.
Over the weekend, Dauber was responsible for tweeting portions of the probation pre-sentence report containing a statement attributed to Brock’s father, Dan Turner, who pleaded for leniency, saying the verdict had “broken and shattered” his son.
In photos and phone messages, Turner appears to be holding a pipe for smoking marijuana, as well as talking about drinking and buying drugs.
“We need to be very careful we’re not hanging judges out to dry based on one decision, especially because he is considered to be a fair and even-tempered judge”, said Santa Clara County Public Defender Molly O’Neal.
On the other hand, Persky recently imposed a tougher sentence on an African-American man who committed a property crime – breaking into an unoccupied home – than he gave Turner for a violent crime. He’ll probably be out in a few weeks. The sister of the victim who was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner wrote a scathing letter to the former Stanford University swimmer.
California law, they note, gives judges considerable latitude over sentencing, making Persky’s call in the Turner case just one of hundreds the judge has made since he was appointed by former Gov. Gray Davis in 2003. They wrote: “Ultimately, the fact that the Defendant preyed upon an intoxicated stranger on a college campus should not be viewed as a less serious crime than if he were to assault a stranger in Downtown Palo Alto”. Turner must also register as a sex offender. Remember, this woman was unconscious when he raped her behind a dumpster. In the three-and-a-half page letter, which she described in the introduction as an opportunity to introduce the judge to “the REAL Brock Turner”, Carleen Turner details her son’s swimming and academic achievements and role in his 6th grade school play, but makes no mention of the victim. The sentence carried a potential 14 years, but Persky sentenced him to six months, plus probation.
Letters from local officials and friends supporting Brock Turner have drawn outrage.
The sister’s letter was made public after the victim’s own impact statement had been widely circulated and read aloud by members of the media and celebrities.
“I had to read about the way her body was found. I realized that the reason I could not find her that night, after checking every room in the fraternity house, after yelling her name outside, was because she had been unconscious and hidden behind a dumpster”. Investigators say the messages and any attachments were already deleted “by a third party”. Or the messaging service operator?
The documents refer to a text message exchange between Turner and his sister from June 3, 2014, when she asked “Did you rage last night?” Prosecutors had sought a sentence of six years in prison. “I’ve heard it’s awesome”.
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“What has affected me most is that you did something to someone I love that I can not take back”, the rape victim’s sister wrote to Turner. To which Turner replied, “Yeah kind of”.
