The judge repeated her refusal – and shouts and gasps were heard as the furious father bolted towards Nassar, who was present in an orange prison jumpsuit.
Advertisement
Margraves, after spending time in a holding cell for the remainder of Friday morning’s impact statements, later appeared before Cunningham and apologized for his actions.
It was a heated courtroom this morning as former United States of America gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, was in the middle of his second hearing for first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
“I can’t blame a dad wanting to protect his daughter it’s just a bad act that that man did and I hope he rots in jail for the rest of his life”, Grant said.
When asked about the outpouring of support on social media, Margraves said he could “appreciate the thoughts”. His comments to the judge spawned the hashtag #GiveHimAMinute.
Margraves’ move occurred after he listened to two of his daughters speak in court for 10 minutes.
Margraves explained that he did not know in advance what his daughters were going to say in court and was overcome with emotion.
It was the second day of the sentencing hearing of Larry Nassar, the disgraced doctor accused of molesting hundreds of girls. Both Nassar and his attorneys left the courtroom. He then asked for one minute and she again said no.
“I failed my own daughter”, Lynn Erickson said tearfully in court on Friday, as her daughter Ashley, one of Nassar’s victims, wiped away tears.
A father who asked to remain anonymous said his daughter had initially refused to come forward “because she did not want me to feel sorry for what happened”.
“We all understand this father’s action”, said actor and pro-wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. When he saw Nassar “shaking his head no, like it didn’t happen”, Margraves said he lost it.
While apologetic to the court, its officers and and his daughters and other victims for his outburst, he made very clear his feelings about his daughters’ abuser.
“It was hard for my dad to hear what each of us experienced explicitly for the first time today”, Morgan said.
“He devastated children and he devastated families”, she said, asking the judge for the maximum sentence possible. “I believe in heaven and hell”.
The sheriff said even though Margraves didn’t touch Nassar, the threat alone could have warranted a charge. With those sports came injuries, and he was advised to send his daughters to see Nassar, a well-respected doctor who treated athletes from Michigan State and USA Gymnastics. He was brought back into the court in handcuffs during a lunch break, and he apologized to the court. A GoFundMe spokesman said he was working with the organizer to ensure the funds were handled appropriately. He faces a similar sentence in Eaton County for abusing three girls and has already been sentenced to 60 years for child pornography.
Advertisement
The hearing is expected to last into the next week. Both MSU and USA Gymnastics have faced strong criticism for what some call enabling Nassar’s abuse for years.
