This post is an update on a previous post regarding Daniel Holtzclaw, an Oklahoma City police officer who used his position of power to prey upon exploited women:
The Honorable Judge Timothy Henderson in the Holtzclaw trial agreed with the jury and sentenced serial rapist Daniel Holtzclaw on January 21, 2016 to prison for 263 consecutive years.
Holtzclaw was sentenced a month and half after he was convicted of 18 counts of sexual assault and/or rape that included four counts of first degree rape and several counts of forced oral sodomy. The victims are eight African-American women, all of whom resided in a poor majority black area of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The defense used the victims’ past, race, and socio-economic standing to dehumanize Holtzclaw’s victims and portray them as “unrapeable” women. The defense also pointed out the victims’ past run-ins with law enforcement – the same run-ins that Holtzclaw used to intimidate victims into performing sexual acts.
According to a report by CNN, “[p]rosecutors said Holtzclaw selected victims… assuming their drug or prostitution records would undermine any claims they might make against him.”
We commend the prosecution, conviction, and sentencing of Daniel Holtzclaw, and are hopeful that his convictions will shine a light on the vulnerability that women face due to sexual violence by those in positions of power.