On Thursday, Holtzclaw cried as the verdict was read.
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“In my mind all I could think was that he was going to shoot me; he was going to kill me”.
Holtzclaw on Thursday was found guilty of 18 of the 36 counts he was facing – including four separate counts of first-degree rape.
She told the court that she didn’t tell authorities because she didn’t see the point.
Holtzclaw’s case has drawn national attention to sexual misconduct among police officers, sparking a year-long investigation by the Associated Press which found thousands of police officers and other law enforcement officials across the country had lost their licenses over a six-year period for rape, sexual assault, and sexual misconduct. Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in jail for firing a warning shot as her husband threatened her, despite the fact that her husband’s own sworn testimony said he was “in a rage”. As I tried to look up at his name, I was afraid to. “I had to do what he was making me do, so…”
Another victim, Shardarion Hill, told reporters Holtzclaw pulled her over in December 2013, and she was later taken to a hospital on the other side of town.
“In the room with the police, not expecting to be violated the way I did, the way I was done, I was speechless, I was scared”, Hill said, growing emotional. “I felt like I was in survival mode”. There is still a sentencing hearing in January where there is a possibility that the sentence could be reduced or altered or Holtzclaw could be remanded to some cushy prison.
Holtzclaw would stop women on the street.
Prosecutors say the Oklahoma City officer selected his victims based on their criminal histories, figuring their drug or prostitution records would undermine any claims they might make against him.
More than 40 witnesses testified at the trial, including thirteen women who were suspected victims. Holtzclaw was characterized in court records as “Asian or Pacific Islander”, the Oklahoman reported, while an all-white jury heard the case.
Philip Stinson, an associate professor at Bowling Green State University who tracks arrests of police officers, told VICE News that there is a familiar pattern among officers, and that many tend to be involved in more than one case.
In The Root, Kirsten West Savali added, “These are the black women who are pushed to the margins of initiatives addressing racial injustice”. However, prosecutors presented DNA evidence linking him to at least one victim: a 17-year-old girl.
After receiving a report from a grandmother who said Holtzclaw forced her to perform oral sex during a traffic stop, police identified a dozen other women who said Holtzclaw had victimized them.
He sobbed and protested his innocence as he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs on Thursday.
His defense attorney did not immediately return a telephone message from The Post on Friday.
The accused officer typically has no criminal background, passionate supporters often show up in the gallery, and juries may believe an officer’s firing is punishment enough, Marquis said.
Franklin appeared with attorney Benjamin Crump, leaders of the National Bar Association, attorneys Damario Solomon-Simmons and Melvin Hall, and two of Holtzclaw’s victims, Jannie Liggons and Shaudae Harris.
Outside the courtroom, a prayer circle formed.
“Each and every one of these people have street smarts like you can’t even imagine”, Adams said at the start of the trial, referring to the alleged victims.
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Some women gathered outside the Oklahoma County Courthouse celebrated Holtzclaw’s conviction by mockingly singing “Happy Birthday”, KFOR reported.
