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Former Okla. police officer convicted of rapes gets 263 years in prison
Posted On Jan 22 2016
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A former Oklahoma City police officer convicted of raping and sexually victimizing eight women on his beat could spend his life in prison.
The former Oklahoma City police officer targeted black women in low-income neighborhoods that he was tasked with patrolling and protecting, according to court documents.
At the sentencing which was held on 21 January the judge read out details of the jail term, which was recommended by a jury and is the maximum punishment allowable. Jurors acquitted Holtzclaw on 18 other counts. All of the women also had some sort of history with the law, like suspended drivers licenses or records of theft.
Another victim – a grandmother in her 50s whose 2014 complaint triggered a police investigation – said her life has been changed forever.
All of his accusers were black. Holtzclaw is half-white, half-Japanese and his father was a police officer. Defense attorney Scott Adams said Holtzclaw will appeal.
The case had racial overtones, as all of the victims Mr. Holtzclaw pursued were black women. “This is a statement for 400 years of racism, oppression and sexual assault of black women; a statement of victory not only for the ‘OKC 13, ‘ but for so many unknown women”.
In December, a jury convicted Daniel Holtzclaw of 18 counts of various sex crimes, including rape and sexual battery.
One 17 year old girl who came forward said that Holtzclaw raped her on her mother’s front porch.
One woman accused Holtzclaw of driving her to a field, raping her in the back of his squad vehicle, and leaving her there. “I am in his custody because whatever he tells me in my mind I just did it. As far as I know I could wind up dead in the hospital saying I was overdosed”, she told CNN.
“I think people need to realize that this is not a law-enforcement officer that committed these crimes”.
She says it was hard to see him in the courtroom. “I thought I was going to be a little braver when I saw him, but I was not”, Ligons said. “Call the cops? He was a cop”.
