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Seemingly lenient sentences for rape are not unheard of, and Anderson’s case underscores the difficulty in proving and prosecuting many sexual assault cases. Punishments are typically lessened and the level of crimes are downgraded as a result of plea agreements. Cases such as Anderson’s have caused swift and widespread outcry from victims, their families and communities.
Even in some instances in which prosecutors successfully proved to a jury that a crime has been committed, sentences have been highly criticized. Among the most notorious is that of Stanford University sex offender Brock Turner, whose six-month jail sentence after a sexual-assault conviction prompted nationwide outrage and the recall of the judge who imposed the punishment. A jury had convicted Turner of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on the edge of campus.
They will spend 30 days in jail after pleading guilty in the Natrona County Circuit Court to two counts of misdemeanor child endangering.
The district attorney’s office released a statement from LaBorde to reporters that said she believed the case would have been hard to prove.
“Conflicting evidence and statements exist in this case making the original allegation difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. As a prosecutor, my goal is no more victims. I believe that is best accomplished when there is a consequence rather than an acquittal,” the statement read, according to the Star-Telegram.
She also said that “there are many facts that the public does not have,” without giving more details.