Oklahoma City cop convicted of
rape sentenced to 263 years in prison
By Eliott C. McLaughlin, Sara
Sidner and Michael Martinez, CNN
Ex-cop sentenced to 263 years for
rapes 01:06
Story highlights
Daniel Holtzclaw gets 263 years, as
recommended by the jury
Woman recalls how she was raped
while handcuffed to a hospital bed
Woman recounted being raped on
mother's front porch; she was 17 at the time
(CNN)Daniel Holtzclaw, the
ex-Oklahoma City officer convicted of rape and other charges after he preyed on
African-American women over six months, was sentenced Thursday to 263 years in
prison, as recommended by the jury, according to his attorney.
The sentence comes just over a
month after a sobbing Holtzclaw was convicted on 18 of 36 counts, including
four counts of first-degree rape and four counts of forced oral sodomy.
Prosecutors said Holtzclaw
selected victims in one of Oklahoma City's poorest neighborhoods based on their
criminal histories, assuming their drug or prostitution records would undermine
any claims they might make against him.
Then, he would subject them to
assaults that escalated from groping to oral sodomy and rape, according to the
testimony of 13 victims. Holtzclaw, whose father is a police lieutenant on
another force, waived his right to testify.
Two of those women shared their
stories with CNN on Wednesday, recounting horrific memories of being forced to
perform sexual acts by a serial rapist with a badge who was supposed to protect
and serve.
Jury wants 263 years
Because the victims are black,
race has been regularly invoked in the case. His trial began in November and
was criticized by activists after an all-white jury was chosen. Protesters
repeatedly gathered outside.
Holtzclaw, whose father is white
and mother is Japanese, is identified as "Asian or Pacific Islander"
by court records.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who
represented the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, has criticized
the media, asking, "Where is the national outcry for their justice?"
Crump praised the sentence
Thursday saying it was "a landmark victory."
"All the women were victims,
from the 17-year old teenager to the 57-year old grandmother. 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.
On Wednesday, Holtzclaw's lawyers
asked for a new trial, alleging prosecutors did not disclose newly discovered
evidence -- including DNA evidence and the accounts of accusers who falsely
claimed to be victims -- to the defense, according to CNN affiliate KFOR. Court
documents posted on the station's website say a detective referenced the
evidence in a Facebook post.
The judge denied the motion for a
new trial.
The defense team filed for an
appeal in court on Thursday, and it was denied, Crump said. They plan to appeal
again, he said, but he was not sure what arguments they will use.
Holtzclaw's attorneys aren't the
only ones declaring his innocence, despite the verdict. His sister also runs a
blog dedicated to telling her brother's "untold story."
Victims' stories
One of Holtzclaw's victims,
Jannie Ligons, grandmother of 12, was among those who spoke at the sentencing
on Thursday.
In an interview with CNN this
week, she recalled driving down Lincoln Street when Holtzclaw pulled her over
and told her she was swerving, "which was untrue," she said. He told
her to get out of the car.
"He put a flashlight on my
chest. He told me to pull my pants down to my knees. I did that but real quick
and pulled them back up again. He pulled out his flashlight and shined it on my
privates. I said. 'Sir, you not supposed to do this.' He said, 'Get back into
my vehicle.' I did what he said. I began to get very, very scared," Ligons
said.
She remembers him telling her,
"Damn, you got a big ass."
"I thought he was going to
kill me because I had seen his face and could tell on him and he was an officer
and had to know he wasn't supposed to do this," she said.
That's when Holtzclaw ordered her
to perform oral sex, she said. Her mind racing and tears gushing from her
then-57-year-old eyes, she was both disgusted and terrified.
"I tried to perform oral
sex," she said. "And trying to talk, I kept saying, 'Sir, please
don't make me do this.' I said, 'Are you gonna shoot me?' He said, 'I promise I
am not. ' I didn't believe him. I kept seeing his gun while he was making me do
this right there on the street. I was sitting in the passenger side of the car
and he was standing there. It was so horrifying. It was unreal. I cried and
cried," Ligons said.
Finally, he let her go, and
"I decided right then If he didn't kill me I was going to tell on
him," she said.
Rape in a hospital bed
She picked up her daughter and
went to the police station. Investigators interviewed her and sent her to the
hospital. She soon learned she was the last in a string of sexual assaults and
rapes committed by Holtzclaw.
"The detective I talked to
in the hospital came in and she believed me. While she was writing the report
she said, 'I got a good idea who it was,' " Ligons said. "I was
relieved at first, but then I wondered why he was still on the street if they
knew who it was."
Ligons told reporters after the
verdict was announced last month that she had to enter therapy and later
"had a stroke behind this."
Another victim, 24-year-old
Shandegreon "Sade" Hill, told CNN she was intoxicated the night
Holtzclaw arrested her.
He promised to get her prior
charges dropped, but while she was handcuffed to the hospital bed trying to
detox, he raped her, she said.
"He started to touch me. He
touched my breast. From there, I just didn't know what to think. 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," Hill said.
"He violated me. And made me
give him oral. He stuck his hands into my privates. He done everything against
my will, " she told CNN, her voice shaking and angry.
Holtzclaw continued to pursue
her, even following her to her home and stalking her on social media, she said.
These are just two of the stories
from the 13 victims, one of whom was 17 at the time and testified she was raped
on her mother's front porch.
Grandmother brought him down
Ligons' report would be the one
that finally yielded Holtzclaw's arrest. After she went to police and media
outlets, investigators found another dozen victims. She now has a civil lawsuit
pending against the former officer and the city, filed on behalf of several
victims. Hill has filed a state civil lawsuit against Holtzclaw and Oklahoma
City.
Crump has called Ligons "a
true hero -- not just for black women but all women."
"The statistics on rape
victims reporting the crimes against them are low to being with. This
grandmother had the strength to come forward not just against her assailant but
against a police officer. That is a frightening thing to do," he said.
Holtzclaw was a former linebacker
on the Eastern Michigan University football teamand graduated with a degree in
criminal justice.
Prosecutors say his ruthless
scheme began during a June 2014 traffic stop. He was fired from the force in
January 2015 after an internal investigation.
"Your offenses committed
against women in our community constitute the greatest abuse of police
authority I have witnessed in my 37 years as a member of this agency,"
Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty wrote in the termination letter,
according to CNN affiliate KFOR.
CNN's Keith Allen, Jethro Mullen
and Gigi Mann contributed to this report.
