Oklahoma baseball star avoids prison after raping two girls
A mother said, ’she felt the wind knocked out of her’ when her daughter’s rapist avoided prison because of his age.
Baseball star Jesse Butler, 18, was spared jail after a court changed his status from adult to ’youthful offender’ under Oklahoma’s laws.
He could have faced a 10-year prison sentence for abusing two young girls, but instead received a rehabilitation order and must complete a few hours of community service.
Butler changed his plea from not guilty to ’no contest’ in response to 10 felony charges related to rape, attempted rape, domestic assault, and battery by strangulation.
State representative Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, called the verdict ’unacceptable’ and said he planned to file a petition for a grand jury investigation into the case’s handling.
Accusing officials of favouritism, Humphrey said: ’Does it absolutely reek of political favour that you’re going to erase rapes and sexual crimes so you can give this guy a slap on the wrist?’
Court papers show that Butler pretended to be the ’perfect boyfriend’ before violently raping his victims if they refused to have sex with him.
The court heard that he strangled his first victim until she was unconscious, nearly killing her.
Photos of the girl shared by her mother showed a two-inch scar on her neck.
Butler, the son of a successful sports coach, further threatened to kill her, her family, or his own family if she reported his behavior.
The baseball player filmed himself strangling another young victim until she was unconscious for turning down sex.
Under his rehabilitation order, which will remain in place until his 19th birthday, Butler will be subject to a curfew, daily check-ins, weekly counseling, and an ’aggressive’ program of therapy with a sex offender treatment specialist.
If he fails, he faces possible reclassification as an adult.
He will also be banned from social media and required to complete 150 hours of community service.
The victims’ families said the ruling sparing Butler a prison sentence was ’appalling’ and a ’slap in the face,’ while the risk remains that he may reoffend.
’It’s a complete injustice to these girls and to future victims because unfortunately, statistically, it won’t end,’ one anonymous parent told the Daily Mail.
The mother, named only as Amber, said it felt as if ’the air was knocked out of me’ after hearing Butler’s sentence.
She said her life was ’turned upside down’ as her daughter was abused by Butler over a three-month period.
The other girl’s mother, Yvonne, said her daughter was ’frustrated’ by the outcome, having been assured that Butler would be brought to justice.
She said she was ’blindsided’ by Butler, who initially pretended to be a good boyfriend, giving their daughter flowers and taking her on dates.
But the rapist revealed his true nature at his own home, where he routinely abused his victim.
Head of Investigations
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
