Here Is Brock Turner's Letter to the Judge

Plus more statements sure to provoke outrage
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 8, 2016 6:13 PM CDT
Updated Jun 9, 2016 12:33 AM CDT
Here Is Brock Turner's Letter to the Judge
This January 2015 booking photo released by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office shows Brock Turner.   (Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Fallout continues from the case of Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer sentenced to just six months after sexually violating an unconscious woman. First, the victim's devastating statement to Turner was released; then, Turner's father's statement to the court was released, sparking outrage for the father's assessment that his son shouldn't have his life ruined over "20 minutes of action." Now, Turner's own statement has been released; the Guardian has a long excerpt. In it, Turner blames alcohol and hook-up culture for what happened and bemoans what has become of his life as a result. "I’ve lost two jobs solely based on the reporting of my case," it reads. "I wish I never was good at swimming or had the opportunity to attend Stanford, so maybe the newspapers wouldn’t want to write stories about me." Read it in full here, or check out more fallout below:

  • The Guardian and the Los Angeles Times take a look at statements many other people made on Turner's behalf, like his grandparents, who complained that "Brock is the only person being held accountable for the actions of other irresponsible adults."
  • One of those statements came from Turner's friend Leslie Rasmussen, who wrote of the victim, "I’m sure she and Brock had been flirting at this party and decided to leave together…I don’t think it’s fair to base the fate of the next ten-plus years of his life on the decision of a girl who doesn’t remember anything but the amount she drank." She also blamed the university for being a "party school" and insisted that Brock is not really a rapist and that the whole thing must just be "a huge misunderstanding" because he's actually "the sweetest." The Cut has her full statement. Rasmussen has a band, Good English, and it is quickly losing shows it had planned now that her statement has been released, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Click for more on the case. (More Brock Turner stories.)

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