Ex-NFL star Darren Sharper has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for terrorizing as many as 16 women in a sick and twisted rape spree that spanned 4 states.
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Sharper, 40, had previously been suggested a sentence of nine years in prison, but U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo said the sentence was too lenient for the crime, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
The former National Football League safety of the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings apologized in court for “heinous decisions” that led to sexually assaulting nine women. Sharper said he’s still trying to figure out why he did.
According to the AP, before sentencing Sharper apologized “a thousand times” to the women he abused, adding that he had “lived my life right for 38 years and then I took this path”.
Her voice broke often during her long statement.
Sources connected to the case tell us. “Sharper has really wrapped his head around the fact that he is a serial rapist”.
Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced Sharper on Thursday. The woman’s voice was shaky and she frequently brought a handkerchief to her eyes. “But it wasn’t a mistake”. Rather, she said, it was “a way of life for you and your friends”. In February, Milazzo rejected a proposed plea deal that carried a nine-year prison sentence for the five-time NFL Pro Bowl defensive back, calling it too lenient given the seriousness of all the allegations against him.
The higher sentence fell within the range of 15 to 19 years that a federal probation report recommended, based in part on the sheer number of victims – 16 – who came forward with charged and uncharged allegations against Sharper.
Sharper’s family left the courtroom without speaking to reporters.
Defense attorney Billy Gibbens says that won’t affect plea agreements with state courts in Louisiana, California, Arizona and Nevada.
Brandon Licciardi, a former police officer in suburban New Orleans, and former restaurant worker Erik Nunez pleaded guilty in July to charges they conspired to distribute drugs and commit rape.
Charges around the country involve nine victims, but Milazzo has said in court that there may be as many as 16.
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He pleaded guilty in federal court to drugging three women so he could rape them. They face potential sentences of 10 to 17 years.
