When I first wrote about the case of Brock Turner, the Stanford University freshman convicted of raping an unconscious woman and sentenced to a mere six months in county jail  (A Case of MIS-Justice … Again)  earlier this week, I was fairly certain that I would be doing a follow-up at some point.  Little did I know it would be this soon, however there are numerous updates and I felt it prudent to do a brief (?) follow-up at this time.  In the interest of time and space, I will give a brief update in several areas, followed by links to the news story, which you can click if you would like more information.

• Apparently young Mr. Turner told a few fibs along the way. What a surprise, that a rapist might also be a liar!  He told his probation officer that he had never used any illicit drugs and had never drank alcohol prior to the start of college.  Undoubtedly this contributed to some extent to his receiving a mere slap on the wrist (6 months in county jail).  However, court evidence from Turner’s cell phone shows that Tuner had been using illicit drugs and consuming alcohol while he was in high school Ohio.  Detectives found multiple text messages from 2014 on Turner’s phone where he indicated intent to purchase and smoke pot. He also texted with a friend about finding and taking acid and his interest in “candyflipping” — a combination of LSD and MDMA. Turner also sent messages to his sister about consuming alcohol, and photos of himself smoking marijuana were also found on his phone. This was all prior to Turner’s start at Stanford in the fall of 2015.  Yes, Judge Persky – this is indeed a fine, upstanding young man.  Brock Turner lied

• Turner’s defense lawyers, in their ‘Defense Memo’, argued that:
  • People aren’t really adults until they are 23, therefore Turner lacked the emotional maturity to be held accountable
  • Turner is  “fundamentally a good young man” who made bad choices for “20 minutes.”
  • The prosecutor is responsible for the defendant’s emotional trauma.
  • Defense Memo   If you check out no other link, check this one and read the rest of their argument, as well as the letter at the bottom from his grandparents.  Then go for a nice long walk to cool your temper!

• As of this writing, Brock Turner is expected to be released from jail on September 2^nd, exactly three (3) months after his incarceration on June 2^nd. I predicted this in my original post, but I didn’t expect it to be decided quite so soon.  I hope that, in light of the lies he told, they will extend his sentence and make him serve the entire six months … every single hour of it!  But alas, I do not seriously look for that to happen.  Perhaps the best we can hope for is that he misbehaves while in jail, then they will likely make him serve the entire term.  Turner sentence cut in half

• At least there is one consequence of his actions that will last more than a few short months. The USA Swimming organization has issued a lifetime ban.  Remember Brock had dreams of going to the Olympics as a member of the USA Swim team?  Not anymore.  A spokesperson for USA Swimming said “USA Swimming strictly prohibits and has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, with firm Code of Conduct policies in place, and severe penalties, including a permanent ban of membership, for those who violate our Code of Conduct.”  USA Swimming Bans Brock Turner for LIFE

• Prior to his sentencing, Turner wrote a letter, a statement, to the court asking for leniency. That statement, in part, convinced Judge Persky to give Turner a very light sentence, along with letters written by others on his behalf.  Note:  at least two of the letters written on his behalf have since been rescinded.  The letter by Turner is a random tome filled with self-pity and whining, and while I will not put the entire 968 words here, I will share with you a few of the more relevant parts:
  • “I never want to have a drop of alcohol again. I never want to attend a social gathering that involves alcohol or any situation where people make decisions based on the substances they have consumed. I never want to experience being in a position where it will have a negative impact on my life or someone else’s ever again. I’ve lost two jobs solely based on the reporting of my case. I wish I never was good at swimming or had the opportunity to attend Stanford, so maybe the newspapers wouldn’t want to write stories about me.”
  • “One needs to recognize the influence that peer pressure and the attitude of having to fit in can have on someone. One decision has the potential to change your entire life. I know I can impact and change people’s attitudes towards the culture surrounded by binge drinking and sexual promiscuity.”
  • “I’ve been shattered by the party culture and risk taking behavior that I briefly experienced in my four months at school. I’ve lost my chance to swim in the Olympics. I’ve lost my ability to obtain a Stanford degree. I’ve lost employment opportunity, my reputation and most of all, my life.”
  • Brock Turner Statement to Court

• There are at least six on-line petitions being circulated, calling for the removal of Judge Persky from the bench. The largest, change.org, claims to have exceeded 1 million signatures.  However, do not expect to see the judge removed anytime soon.  Recalling a sitting judge is almost unheard of, both in California and nationally, and for good reason.  When the U.S. Constitution was drafted, the framers intended the judicial branch to be above political considerations, above the whim of the public.  According to William Raftery, a senior analyst for the National Center for State Courts, “Judges are only supposed to face recall, if at all, when they’ve committed a crime while in office or are deemed physically or mentally incompetent to actually do their job.” In 1995, a similar and unsuccessful plea was made for the recall of Judge Nancy Wieben Stock was issued when she granted O.J. Simpson custody of his two children.  Judge Aaron Persky Recall Petition

• I’ve saved the “best” for last.  When I first heard that Brock Turner’s father, Dan, was taking up a collection to help with his legal fees, it was from a questionable source and I could not verify the story.  I have since, however, been able to confirm and I am sickened and disgusted.  The family is obviously not below the poverty level, and while yes, I understand legal fees are a huge burden, I cannot imagine that anybody would wish to help this family … the son is a rapist and the parents have done everything short of patting him on the back and saying “Attaboy, Brock!”  Maybe they have even done that … who knows?  At any rate, the family is requesting help via a Facebook page that was established with the sole purpose of soliciting funds to be deposited into an account at Wright-Patterson Credit Union.  While the Facebook page, I am told, has been since taken down, I do have a screen shot: 

•  Brock Turner Fundraiser

The only bright spot in all of this is the good deed performed by the two young Stanford students who stopped, realized what was happening, and called police while holding the rapist until help arrived.  Carl-Fredrik Arndt and his friend Peter Jonsson, two Swedish students, happened to be riding their bicycles in the area when they noticed Brock and his unconscious victim behind the dumpster.  When Brock tried to run away, Peter wrestled him to the ground and the two young men held him until police arrived.  These two young men are the only people in this scenario who are worthy of a ‘hats off’ and a ‘two-thumbs-up’.  Great job, guys!  And thank you!  Students Who Stopped Brock Turner

Perhaps there will be more with which to update again at a later date, or perhaps the furor will, as most things do, die out with time and distance, and Turner will be released as scheduled on September 2^nd with little or no fanfare.  People tend to have short memories for some things, and we do, after all, have da trumpeter to distract us from the more serious issues in life.  So, we shall see.