Daniel Holtzclaw, a former Oklahoma City police officer was found guilty of 18 charges, including first-degree rape.
Holtzclaw’s case has received a lot of attention due to all 13 of his accusers being African American women. The youngest was 17, the oldest was a grandmother. The grandmother (whose name is not released out of respect for the victims’ privacy) was the one who helped launch the investigation. Law enforcement officials using their badge to intimidate minority women is a national issue.
When #DanielHoltzclaw teen victim was asked why she didn’t report rape, replied: “What kind of police do you call on the police?” #QOTD #911
— Natl Urban League (@NatUrbanLeague) December 11, 2015
If the judge orders his sentences to be served consecutively Holtzclaw is looking at life in prison, since his charges add up to 263 years. He was found guilty of rape, sexual battery, and other abuse charges. Although 13 women testified against him, the charges he was convicted on were only related to eight of them.
Holtzclaw suffered an emotional outburst after his conviction and is now under 24-hour watch in jail.
The #DanielHoltzclaw jury recommends a total of 263 years https://t.co/vTfQgN5Rdu
— Jezebel (@Jezebel) December 11, 2015
Many of the victims chose to speak out at a press conference following the verdict:
Victim speaks on #DanielHoltzclaw rape verdict https://t.co/qSHr3flUsh https://t.co/AbqbR2zW7q
— CNN (@CNN) December 11, 2015
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