Brock Turner is back in the news.
For all the wrong reasons.
The former Stanford University swimmer was convicted of sexual assault against an unconscious woman in January of 2015.
The case made headlines this spring when he was sentenced because a judge determined that Turner should not spend much time in jail.
As a result, Turner is set to be released from prison on Friday, according to the Department of Correction’s website of Santa Clara County in California.
At that time, he will have served three months of a six-month sentence.
For those who have forgotten about the Brock Turner case, here is a refresher:
On January 18, 2015, two students came across Turner inserting his fingers inside of an unconscious woman in an alley.
He tried to flee on foot upon being caught, but was caught and tackled by one of the witnesses.
Evidence pointed to Turner shoving pine needles and other objects into the woman’s vagina, with his attorney trying to argue that Turner asked for permission and that the sexual acts were consensual.
However, a jury did not buy this defense and Turner was found guilty on multiple counts of rape.
Yes, RAPE. Turner was found guilty. There’s no debate here over his crime.
Except that Turner’s father sent the judge a note that pleaded for a lenient sentence.
He disgustingly downplayed his son’s actions at the time of the rape, writing that Turner’s “life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve” if he goes to jail.
Turner’s dad added:
“That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20-plus years of life.”
Here is a look at Dan Turner’s full statement:
Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky* mostly agreed with Mr. Turner in the end, ignoring the prosecutors’ recommendation that Turner spend up to six years in jail.
He sentenced Turner to a mere six months, along with probation.
It’s possibly worth noting that the judge also attended Stanford.
(*According to CNN, Persky will no longer hear criminal cases beginning September 6; he will instead preside over civil cases.)
The case continued to earn national attention when a statement the victim read in court went viral.
It was read by CNN’s Ashley Banfield on air and it opened with the following line:
“You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me, and that’s why we’re here today.”
The letter then walked people through the victim’s difficult experience, which continues today.
It’s pretty clear her punishment will outlast that of Turner.
Watch the CNN anchor try to hold it together while reading the words of the victim out loud:
The former college athlete blamed his actions on “party culture” in his own memo to the judge, claiming that he hadn’t been exposed to drugs or alcohol prior to entering college.
This would be a ridiculous excuse under any circumstance.
Plenty of college students try alcohol for the first time in college and do not tape anyone.
However, in a prosecutor’s sentencing memo obtained by the San Mercury News, it was discovered that Turner had sent text messages in high school to friends suggesting they drop acid and buy pot.
Turner will be required to attend drug and alcohol counseling after his release.
The victim, meanwhile, has decided to remain anonymous even after her powerful letter to Turner went public.
In a statement to local news outlets, she said that her decision comes as “a statement that all of these people are fighting for someone they don’t know” and that “for now, I am every woman.