Oklahoma cop sentenced to 263 years in prison for rape charges

According to prosecutors, Holtzclaw targeted Black women in neighborhoods north and east of the state Capitol building.

Holtzclaw cried and shook his head at the trial as the judge read the verdict and prison time chosen by jurors. Holtzclaw reportedly went after women with prior records and threatened to arrest them if they didn’t do as he wished.

“Thank you, thank you everyone who supported me”. The evidence came to their attention this week via a Facebook post, of all places, written by Oklahoma City Police Detective Jake McClain. “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”, Crump said in a statement released Thursday.

She described her experience as horrifying and unreal, and added that feared Holtzclaw would kill her, since she told him that what he was doing was not good because he was a police officer. He was acquitted on 18 other counts.

Prosecutors said Daniel Holtzclaw, 29, preyed on vulnerable African-American women and forced them into sex, hoping their word would not hold up against his in court.

An emotionless Holtzclaw was led out in shackles, facing 263 years in prison – a decision that was music to the ears of supporters and the survivors they celebrate.

The stories of several other women mirrored the previous victims of Holtzclaw and it seemed that the former football star was choosing his victims based on their credibility. The filing said that if there is additional DNA proof despite the government’s representations to the contrary, and if there are other people who came forward and falsely claimed that they were one of the victims, then deliberate misrepresentations we made not only to the defense counsel but the court.

“I was out there alone and helpless, didn’t know what to do”, Ligons said.

Another victim, who identified herself as Shardayreon Hill, accused Holtzclaw of raping her while she was handcuffed to a hospital bed.

Former officer Daniel Holtzclaw was set for sentencing at 10 a.m. Thursday, but proceedings were delayed as Holtzclaw and attorneys met privately with District Judge Timothy Henderson in the judge’s chambers.

Police said the first assault was during a traffic stop in June 2014, and Holtzclaw was sacked in January 2015 after an internal police investigation.

Several of his victims whose claims did not result in a conviction are suing Mr Holtzclaw and Oklahoma City in civil court.