Former Oklahoma City police officer found guilty of serial rape of Black women

Late on Thursday, a jury found a former Oklahoma City cop accused of sexually assaulting and raping 13 women guilty of rape and sexual battery.

Daniel Holtzclaw, who turned 29 on Thursday, cried as the guilty verdict was read in the courtroom.

He was found guilty of five counts of rape and an additional 13 counts of sexual assault against eight of his accusers. He was also cleared of many of the 36 charges against him. Buzzfeed documented the narratives of each accuser in a powerful series, here.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place on Jan. 21.

The jury recommended a total of 263 years.

A former football player with a 6-foot-1 and 260-pound frame, Holtzclaw used violence, threats of greater violence, and the threat of arrest to silence his victims.

“Holtzclaw knew we wouldn’t give a damn,” writes the Daily Beast’s Goldie Taylor.

“That’s why he chose them.”

Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson, of Oklahoma City’s Expressions Ministry (L) and Robin Leake of Oklahoma City wait for a verdict in the Holtzclaw case in Oklahoma City, Dec. 10, 2015. REUTERS

An excerpt of tonight’s coverage of the verdict which contains graphic details of sexual violence and descriptions of rape, from the Daily Beast:

Some of the accusers—BuzzFeed documented their testimony on Wednesday—said the officer violated them in their own homes while wearing his department-issued uniform. One woman testified that after Holtzclaw ran her name and found an active warrant, he took her to an abandoned school where he raped her. Another said she was forced to perform sex acts on the side of the road. Another said she was sexually violated while handcuffed to a hospital bed. Investigators said they found DNA, from what some believe is an unknown 14th victim, inside the crotch of his uniform.

The last accuser to testify was only 17 when, she said, Holtzclaw raped her on her mother’s porch just after dark. The officer first told her he needed to search her for drugs, she testified. He first groped her under her clothes before pushing his fingers into her vagina, she said, then he unzipped the fly of his trousers and raped her. The youngest of the accusers—some of them suspected of prostitution or drug possession, others with an active warrant—she wondered out loud: “What kind of police do you call on the police?”

For too many, living on the margins and with no real voice in the system, the answer is: nobody.

Holtzclaw was fired by the Oklahoma City Police Department in January, 2015, when allegations against him surfaced. The crimes were committed while he was still in uniform.

The Oklahoma City Police Department released the following statement after the verdict:

The Oklahoma City Police Department is pleased with the jury’s decision regarding the Daniel Holtzclaw trial. It was a long and difficult trial and deliberation process for all involved. It is obvious the jury took their responsibilities very seriously and considered every piece of evidence presented to them.

We are proud of our detectives and prosecutors for a job well done.

To the jury, we thank you for your service.

We are satisfied with the jury’s decision and firmly believe justice was served.

From KOCO TV in Oklahoma City, here is the list of charges that were brought against Holtzclaw along with the recommended jury sentences:

1. Sexual battery – Guilty – eight years
2. Procuring lewd exhibition – Not guilty
3. Burglary – Not guilty
4. Procuring lewd exhibition – Guilty – five years
5. Procuring lewd exhibition – Guilty – five years
6. Stalking – Not guilty
7. Sexual battery – Not guilty
8. Forcible oral sodomy – Guilty – 20 years
9. First-degree rape – Not guilty
10. Forcible oral sodomy – Guilty – 16 years
11. First-degree rape – Guilty – 30 years
12. Forcible oral sodomy – Not guilty
13. Sexual battery – Guilty – eight years
14. Sexual battery – Guilty – eight years
15. Procuring lewd exhibition – Guilty – five years
16. Forcible oral sodomy – Guilty – 16 years
17. Forcible oral sodomy – Not guilty
18. Procuring lewd exhibition – Not guilty
19. Procuring lewd exhibition – Not guilty
20. First-degree rape – Not guilty
21. Sexual battery – Not guilty
22. Sexual battery – Not guilty
23. Sexual battery – Not guilty
24. Forcible oral sodomy – Not guilty
25. Second-degree rape – Not guilty
26. Indecent exposure – Not guilty
27. Forcible oral sodomy – Guilty – 16 years
28. First-degree rape- Guilty – 30 years
29. First-degree rape – Guilty – 30 years
30. Sexual battery – Guilty – eight years
31. Second-degree rape – Guilty – 12 years
32. First-degree rape – Guilty – 30 years
33. Sexual battery – Guilty – eight years
34. Sexual battery – Guilty – eight years
35. Procuring lewd exhibition – Not guilty
36. Procuring lewd exhibition – Not guilty

Buzzfeed’s earlier coverage on how he was caught, on the stories of his surviving victims, and coverage of tonight’s verdict.